Don't Count on Me
by ifyouevercomebackx
Summary: Miley worked her whole life to get her reputation as one of the best interior designers out. Nick worked his whole life to get his reputation as one of the toughest gang members out. They come from completely different worlds. How can love be possible?
1. Chapter 1

"Just put that over in the corner!"

Miley ran a frustrated hand through her hair. Her job as an interior designer had never been an easy one, but the O'Connor house was by far one of the hardest she had worked on yet. First, the family kept changing their minds, and then workers were late or simply couldn't follow simple instructions.

As she thought more and more about how much she regretted taking on the project, she heard a bang in the dining room, causing her to wince slightly as she made her way quickly from the living room, across the open-plan hall and into the dining room.

"What the hell happened in here?" she yelled

Two of her employees looked up at her sheepishly. One glanced down at the broken cardboard box on the floor, a linen tablecloth, a shattered glass vase and two tall silver candle holders lying on the ground.

Miley picked up the cardboard box and examined it. The base had given way, spilling the contents out on the wooden floor. She looked up at the two men, her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at them.

"Jake, clean this up." She turned to walk out of the room. "And Aaron, you head back to the office and find another vase like the $250 one that you two just shattered." She then walked out of the room, too stressed to listen to their explanations.

She walked into the kitchen and looked around at the three men working on the tiled floor. "How are we doing, guys?" she asked with a sigh.

One looked up. "Oh, hey. We should be done tomorrow, tiled and polished," he replied.

Miley nodded. "Good job, boys." She picked her bag off the island in the centre of the kitchen. "I'm heading home for the day. I should be back here on Thursday to check up on how you guys are doing. I'll see you then." She slipped her phone into her bag and took out the keys to her BMW. "You guys have done a really good job," she said softly with a smile. She then turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen.

Once in her car, Miley sat there, staring into space. She was going on yet another blind date that Demi had set up for her. She really wasn't in the mood after the day that she'd had. She had been working on the O'Connor house for months, and they were nowhere near ready. She had been on a million and one blind dates in the past three months, all of which were set up by Demi, and none of them felt right. She really wasn't in the mood to find out once again that she was out on a date with the wrong guy.

Was it so hard for guys to like her? Demi had found the right guy for her. Why couldn't Miley? She was so tired of walking into a bar or a restaurant to meet a guy and finding out that he definitely wasn't the guy for her. She wasn't sure that she could face one more let-down.

There was a knock on the window. Miley turned her head and saw Aaron standing there. She rolled down the window and sighed. "What can I do for you, Aaron?" she asked in a tired tone.

Aaron smiled slightly and reached into his pocket. "You forgot your bracelet." He held it out for her. Sure enough, he was holding the charm bracelet that her father had given her for her graduation in his hands. "I saw it on the stairs. I didn't want it to get lost, and I was just on my way back to the office for that vase. I saw your car out here and thought I may as well give it to you now." Aaron turned around, a smile on his face. "I'll see you later, ma'am." He then walked over to his truck, reversed out of the driveway, and drove away down the street.

Miley slipped on her charm bracelet, staring after Aaron's truck. She couldn't recall dropping her bracelet anywhere. How could she not have noticed it slipping off her wrist? She shrugged the thoughts out of her mind and started the car, knowing Demi would kill her if she was late for the week's blind date.

When she reached their favourite bar, Stuart's Sports Bar, she got out of the car and headed inside. She saw Demi and her husband, Joe, sitting in their usual booth. Demi noticed Miley walk in and waved, grinning at her. A man in the seat opposite Demi turned to look.

Miley had to admit it – this guy was hot. Then again, all of her blind dates were hot. It was just that they were all either as dumb as a doorknob or as boring as a blank sheet of paper.

She walked quickly over to the table and slipped into the booth beside the man. "Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late. I got held up at the O'Connor project along the beach." She put her bag down on the booth beside her and smiled at the man next to her. "Hi, I'm Miley."

The man smiled and stuck out his hand to shake hers. "Hey. I'm Liam. Nice to meet you." He turned to Demi and Joe, grinning. "You two never told me how hot your friend was."

Miley giggled. "They always leave out that part," she joked.

Demi pushed a glass of wine in Miley's direction. "Your usual," she said. Demi then folded her hands on the table and smiled. "So, how was your day?"

"It was okay. A few problems at work, but they were fixed pretty easily. How about you? How was the store today?" Miley replied.

Demi smiled, just as she always did whenever someone mentioned her little boutique off Main Street. Her store made her almost as happy as Joe did. Anybody could see how good it made her feel.

"It was good. I'll call you tomorrow and tell you about this customer that came in today. It was hilarious," she said.

There was an awkward silence at the table as people ran out of things to say. Joe kept his eyes on one of the screens above the bar, watching the baseball match that was playing. Liam held his beer bottle in his hands, turning it and fiddling with his fingers. Demi stared at the table, not quite sure what to say, fixing her gaze there and only there. Miley looked around the room, people-watching, just as she always did.

Joe cleared his throat. "Can I get anyone another drink?" he asked.

Demi pushed him out of the booth and slipped out herself. "I could do with another glass of wine," she mumbled, dragging him up to the bar to give Liam and Miley some time alone.

Liam glanced at Miley. "So, uh, what do you do?" he asked, attempting to start a simple conversation with her.

"I'm an interior designer," she replied with a smile. "What about you?" she asked.

Liam smiled slightly. "I'm a sports reporter for the local newspaper. How do you know Joe and Demi?" he asked.

"I've known Demi since preschool. We met Joe at middle school and I guess we've all just been super close since then. How about you? How did you meet them?" Miley asked.

Liam cleared his throat slightly. "I coach the Little League baseball team with Joe. I met Demi through Joe when she constantly was coming to games and practices." He chuckled slightly. "First I thought she was coming to creep on the kids, until Joe explained to me who she was."

Miley giggled. "So, you're a baseball player, huh?"

"I used to be. Injured myself when I was in college though. I'm been helping out with Little League teams since then. I love it," Liam explained. He smirked. "I'm a bit of a sports addict, to be honest. I love it."

"I can tell," Miley said with a smile.

Joe and Demi slipped back into the booth with their drinks, as well as fresh drinks for Liam and Miley.

"I see that you two are getting on," Demi said with a smile.

Liam smiled at Miley. "Like a house on fire."

* * *

><p>Miley walked into her office, Starbucks in one hand, the day's mail in the other. She flopped down onto her chair and threw the envelopes onto her desk.<p>

There was a knock on the door. She looked up as the door swung open. She smiled slightly at the sight.

"Karen. Hi."

Miley's receptionist smiled over at her. "You have an appointment today at 11 o'clock, ma'am," she said, placing some papers on Miley's desk. "It's Mrs Jacobs. She wants to see you about re-decorating her living room."

Miley looked up and furrowed her eyebrows. "I re-decorated her living room six months ago."

Karen sighed. "I suppose she's gotten sick of it yet again." She pushed some more papers towards Miley. "And Miss Beaufort wants you to look at her ideas for that new bedroom for her daughter before your meeting tomorrow."

"Thank you, Karen. Is that all?" Miley asked.

Karen glanced at her watch. "One of the workers down at the O'Connor house, Aaron, called in about fifteen minutes ago. He asked that you go down there. One of the guys working on the upstairs bathrooms is apparently causing trouble," she explained.

Miley looked at the clock above the door. It was half past nine. If it took roughly twenty minutes to drive down to the O'Connor house, she could give herself about forty-five minutes to sort out the problem and twenty minutes to drive back. She would hopefully be back in time for her eleven o'clock appointment.

Miley rose to her feet. "I suppose I can make it down there now. If I'm not back in time for Mrs Jacobs, tell her that I'll be back soon and I'm sorry to keep her waiting," she said. She then grabbed her bag and walked quickly out the door.

When she got in her car, she let out a sigh. She didn't need any more problems down at the O'Connor house. She most certainly didn't need a problematic worker. She put her key in the ignition and drove as quickly as she could to the O'Connor house, making it there at the front door in fifteen minutes.

She stormed into the house. "Aaron!" she yelled.

Aaron came in from the dining room. "Sorry to call you down here, ma'am. I know you're busy up at the office, but we're having some problems with the new guy," he explained. He headed towards the stairs, leading Miley up after him. "We managed to calm him down again, but a little while ago, he was in a fight with one of the other guys."

They stopped in the hallway. Miley pursed her lips and sighed. "What kind of fight?"

"He was ready to go for Steve. We were hoping that maybe you could talk to him and let him know that fighting won't get the work done any quicker," Aaron explained.

Miley nodded. "I'll have a word. Thanks, Aaron." She watched Aaron walk down the hall and back down the stairs. She then took a deep breath and pushed open the bathroom door.

No one was there.

_Typical,_ she thought. _The new guy causes trouble and mysteriously disappears._ She sighed and looked around the bathroom. A stack of tiles were sitting in the corner, along with a toolbox. She could hear her workers hammering and drilling downstairs, the radio blaring in the kitchen of the house.

"Damn new guy," she mumbled.

She knew she shouldn't have hired a new guy. She was fine with the team that she had. She had never even met the guy before. Jake, Aaron, Alex and Lewis had insisted that they needed more help. She had allowed them to interview a pile of workers and select two to help them. She trusted their judgement. She had assumed that, if her best workers thought that the men were suitable, they would do perfectly for the job.

Maybe she had trusted their judgement a little too much. She had never even met her two newest workers. What did that say about her and her company? She had gone with the word of her men and look where it got her – she was left standing in an empty workspace, looking for a man that wasn't even in the room.

She walked over to the toolbox and kicked it slightly to let out her building anger. She was angry with nobody but herself. She had been irresponsible. She should have checked out the new guys before she allowed her men to hire them. That was how a business worked – you checked out all new employees before even considering to hire them.

_If something had happened in that fight,_ she thought. What if the new guy actually had hit one of her men? She wasn't exactly sure, but she was thinking that her employee could sue her if the new guy had even touched him.

"Where the hell is he?" she muttered.

The unfinished bathroom she was standing in was the least of her problems. She needed to check out the new guy that seemed to be causing so much trouble before she even considered letting him continue. She was going to do what she should have done in the first place. As soon as she found him, she was going to sit him down and have a word with him. She was going to treat it like an interview, an interview just like all of her other employees got before they were hired. Like she should have given this new guy.

"Stupid," she said, covering her mouth with her hand. She had been so stupid. Thinking back, she couldn't help but think, _Who the hell hires a guy without even meeting him?_ For all she knew, he could have been a serial killer. As she thought more and more about, she couldn't help but blame herself for putting her staff in danger. It had been irresponsible and completely unprofessional.

"Aaron!" she called. "Aaron, where is this guy?"

She heard footsteps coming up the hall, but she didn't turn around. She stared out the bathroom window at the waves that crashed against the shore, wondering how she could have been so wrong to not even meet this guy.

The footsteps stopped. The bathroom door creaked open. Someone stepped into the room. The only sound heard was the clearing of a man's throat.

"You lookin' for me?"

* * *

><p><strong>So this is chapter one of Don't Count on Me. The title may change, but for now it's just Don't Count on Me. I've written and re-written this chapter so many times. I never knew quite how to write it. I never liked the way that it turned out. I'm not exactly a big fan of the way this turned out either, but I suppose it will do.<strong>

**I know that this chapter is quite boring, but most first chapters are. Please give this story a chance :) Leave a review! It will mean a lot to me :)**

**Also, I'm sorry it's kind of short. I wanted to get it out quickly :) OH, and it's rated M for later chapters ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

"You lookin' for me?"

Miley spun around, shocked by the sudden source of noise. As much as she wished it didn't, her jaw dropped slightly when she saw the man standing in the doorway. He had rendered her speechless.

"That would depend," she replied. She immediately wanted to kick herself. What kind of answer was that? She then wanted to kick herself for caring so much about what the man thought about her. It really didn't matter.

The man smirked. He leaned against the door frame and folded his arms across his chest, his muscles standing out a mile off. "On what?" he asked.

Miley didn't answer. She looked him up and down. He was certainly handsome. His lips were turned up into a slight smirk as his chocolate eyes watched her, never tearing away. His brown curls sat messily on his head. He was tall and muscular. He definitely _looked_ as though he could work well for her.

"Well?" he asked.

"Are you the new guy?" she replied.

He grinned over at her. "And who would you be?"

She smiled slightly at him as he remained where he was standing, confident that she was about to knock him off his feet.

"I'm your boss."

Just as she had expected, he stood up straight and cleared his throat. He wiped his hands on his black and stuck his hand out.

"Oh. I'm sorry." He cleared his throat and stepped forward, still holding out his hand. "I'm Nick. I just started."

"I know who you are." She glanced at his hand. "So you're respectful to me but not my employees?" She sighed. "I know you're new, but my men have put faith in you. I expect not to get any more calls from the others, telling me that you're causing trouble." She turned to go out the door, but looked over her shoulder at him. "I suggest that you apologise and start over with the others before I come back here."

"I'm sorry for causing trouble."

Miley pursed her lips. "I'm sure you are." She then walked out of the bathroom, allowing the door to slam shut behind her.

Nick walked into _The Lucky Shamrock_ and sat down on his normal stool at the bar. He glanced at the clock on the wall. He was five minutes late, but there was no sign of Jimmy. He sighed and glanced at the bartender, Luc.

"The usual?" Luc asked.

Nick nodded. "Please."

Five minutes later, Jimmy burst through the doors of the bar. He came and sat down beside Nick. "Sorry I'm late, man," he panted. "I was doing a job for Yellow." He ordered a beer and looked at Nick. "What's the urgency?"

Nick paused. "What were you doin' for Yellow?" he asked quietly.

Yellow was Nick's cousin. Of course, Yellow wasn't his real name. He had been given the nickname Yellow when he was a kid because his dad drove him to school on the way to work every morning in a beaten up old yellow car. The nickname stuck. Nick doubted that many people even remembered Yellow's real name.

"I was pickin' up some money. No big deal," Jimmy responded.

Nick lowered his voice. "It's always a big deal with Yellow, Jim." He sighed. "You better make sure that Alex doesn't find out. You know that he hates any of us pickin' up money for anybody but him."

"It was only Yellow."

"I don't care. You ain't gettin' in trouble over this with Alex."

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He took a drink from his beer and looked at Nick. "I know that ain't what you called me down here for. What's goin' on, Nick?" he asked. "Is it about that new job you got?"

"No, it's nothin' to do with my job." Nick sighed and looked at Jimmy. "Jim, we've been friends a long time. I can tell you anythin', right? 'Cause I need to know that I can. This is really important, Jimmy," he said.

"Continue," Jimmy said.

Nick closed his eyes. "Alex asked me to move up."

Jimmy's eyes widened. "You mean ..." he trailed off. They all knew what 'moving up' meant in their part of town. Jimmy knew that moving up meant that Nick wasn't safe anymore.

Alex Walsh ruled their neighbourhood and the neighbourhoods surrounding it. His dad had come over from Ireland years before. He had opened _The Lucky Shamrock_ and fell for one of his bar maids. They had Alex together. When he was in high school, Alex started the Blood Bullets. The gang grew around the area Alex had grown up in. It was a common stereotype that anybody from that part of town was a member of the Blood Bullets.

If Nick was being moved up, it only meant one thing – Nick's responsibility in the BB was increased by about 25%. It would mean more fights. More collecting for Alex. He would have to start doing drug deals. More 'errands' for Alex.

"You can't move up," Jimmy said softly.

"I can't say no to a guy like Alex."

Jimmy opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the doors of the bar banging open, hitting against the wall. There was loud talking and laughing as a group of six men walked into the bar. They all slipped into the booth in the back corner.

"Nick!"

Nick turned at the sound of someone calling his name. He closed his eyes when he saw Alex watching him carefully. Nick jumped to his feet and walked over to Alex's booth with Jimmy. He stopped at the end of the table.

"Alex. Hi."

Alex smiled as Luc placed six beers on the table. He watched Luc walk away behind the bar and looked up at Nick. "Have you thought about my offer anymore?" he asked softly.

Alex was considerably young. He was about thirty. He had short black hair and piercing blue eyes. Everybody knew that his girl, Cassie, wanted them to get married, but everyone also knew that the chances of Alex marrying before he hit forty were very slim.

Nick glued his eyes to the table. "I'm still thinkin' about it," he mumbled.

"You better think long and hard, Nick. This is a big decision," Alex replied carefully, taking a quick gulp of beer, staring at Nick in an attempt to pressure him.

"Yeah ... Well, like I said, I'm still thinkin' about it."

Jimmy glanced at the clock. "Well, look at the time. Nick, we better head back to your place." Jimmy grinned at the men in the booth. "Nick's momma said she\d make some lasagne for us. You guys know how good his momma's lasagne is. Don't want to miss that."

Alex nodded and smiled up at them. "Good to see you boys. I presume that I'll be seeing you some time at the weekend." Alex watched as Nick and Jimmy turned and slowly left the bar, throwing a ten dollar bill down on the bar to pay for their drinks.

When they stepped outside and made it down the street a little bit, certain that they were away from Alex and his men, they both let out a relieved breath that neither of them knew that they'd been holding in.

"Thanks for that," Nick said.

Jimmy smiled and patted Nick's back. "Don't make me do it again," he said. "Anyway, I know how Alex makes you feel."

Nick closed his eyes. "He always seems to make me act like a high school kid. Like I'm scared of him."

Jimmy chuckled. "But you are."

Nick grinned. "But Alex doesn't need to know that, does he?" They started to walk. "I don't know what to do, Jim. Alex is expectin' me to say yes to him, but I can't do that to my mom. Her and my dad would have a heart attack if they knew I was movin' up."

"Your momma will do anythin' to keep you safe."

"But this ain't safe."

"It's better than Alex gettin' his guys on you though, isn't it?" Jimmy stuck his hands in his pockets. "You got what the rest of us don't. You got a chance to move on up in the world with that new job." He sighed and looked at Nick. "You're like a brother to me, man. I ain't gonna let you get hurt by Alex."

Nick paused. "And Frankie?"

Jimmy bit his lip at the mention of Nick's little brother. They both knew that soon enough, he would be sucked into the world of gangs that their part of town revolved around. "Frankie'll be fine."

"There ain't no guarantee."

"There ain't no guarantee for anything though, is there?"

"I don't my kid brother gettin' into this, Jim. I ain't gonna let it happen to him," Nick said as they reached the park. They walked in together and sat on the swings. "I want Frank out of this place, Jim. If I do move on up, I want you to look after Frank around here, got it?"

"Got it."

Nick sighed. "Frankie's not like the other kids 'round here. He ain't strong. He ain't angry at anybody. He's happy to just play baseball with some kids." He closed his eyes. "No, my brother ain't gettin' sucked into this world. I ain't gonna let it happen."

Miley walked back into the office and flopped down in the chair behind her desk once more. Only moments later, the door opened. Karen walked into the room, smiling slightly.

"Mr Bridge is here."

Miley sighed and closed her eyes. "Send him in," she muttered. She sat up in her seat and took a sip of coffee to waken her up. She was exhausted. She had gotten hardly any sleep the night before, thinking about Nick. He was definitely one of her better looking employees, and he was quite charming, despite his initial cockiness.

The door opened once more. Mr Bridge, a man in his early fifties who never seemed to change out of his suits, walked in, briefcase in one hand, Starbucks cup in the other. He took a seat in front of Miley's desk.

She smiled. As usual, he didn't smile back. She sighed and took out a pen. "How can I help you today, Mr Bridge?"

"My wife wants the living room redone."

Miley found it difficult to hold in a sigh. The man never seemed happy. Every time he mentioned his wife, he sounded almost resentful of the woman. Miley had met his wife. She was possibly one of the nicest women Miley had ever met. She could never quite understand why he never seemed happy to be with such a great woman. She shook her head. It was none of her business.

"The living room? Again?" she asked.

Mr Bridge shrugged. "She says she wants change, so she asked me to come and see you about it." He glanced at his watch. "I'm running late. I'll give you the notes my wife sent and I'll be going." He took a few sheets of paper from his briefcase and handed them to Miley. "Thank you for your time." He got up and walked quickly from the room.

Miley sighed, watching the door slam shut behind him. Yes, there was definitely something strange about that man's marriage. She just couldn't put her finger on what it was. But to be quite honest, she wasn't sure that she wanted to.

She rose to her feet and grabbed her bag. She knew she wasn't scheduled to go where she planned to go, but she wanted to. She walked out the door and smiled at Karen.

"Where are you going?" Karen asked, slightly panicked at the sight of her boss suddenly exiting the office.

Miley smiled slightly and stopped at the desk. She took a deep breath before exhaling just as deeply. "I'm heading out to the O'Connor house," she replied.

**hi :) just a quick update from me. yeah, these chapters are nowhere near as long as YWFAT's chapters were, but whatever. shorter chapters possibly means quicker updates when the summer break comes around in about two and a half weeks ;) i'm well aware that nick and jimmy's grammar is appalling in this, but in case you didn't notice, that was the idea.**

**hope you enjoyed the chapter :) drop a little review and tell me what you think please. thanks x**


	3. Chapter 3

Miley slammed the car door shut and headed straight towards the O'Connor house, her heels clicking loudly off the stone driveway. She walked through the front door and kicked it shut behind her. She tossed her bag down by the door and headed straight into the kitchen, where she saw one of her workers, Mike, working at the cupboards around the walls.

"Hey, Mike," she called over the sound of his drill. "Where's the newbie?"

Mike turned off his drill and place it onto the counter under the cupboard. He turned to face his boss and grinned. "Hey, ma'am. How you doin'? What newbie are you talking about?" he asked, sticking his hands in the pockets of his faded jeans.

"The new kid that started yesterday. Nick."

"He's upstairs. He's working on the O'Connor's ensuite with Tony. What business have you got with Nick?"

Miley cleared her throat and sent Mike a tight-lipped smile. "I fail to see how that's any of your business, Mike." Miley turned on her heel and went to leave the kitchen. "Now get back to work. We're on a tight schedule here." She then walked out of the kitchen and up the staircase. She made her way down the hallway and into the O'Connor's bedroom. She reached the door to the ensuite bathroom and pushed it open.

"Tony!" she called. "Would you mid helping out Mike downstairs, please?" she asked. She smiled as Tony slipped past her and headed downstairs. When she was certain that he was gone, she kicked the door shut. "So," she said, "have you learned to actually respect your boss yet?"

Nick stopped working on the tiles, but didn't turn around. "I'm sorry I spoke to you the way I did yesterday, ma'am. I didn't realise who you were," he muttered. He didn't move from his crouched position on the floor.

Miley smirked. "This is why I like to interview my employees myself." She ran her hand through her hair and smirked. "Anyway, your lack of respect is not the reason I'm here." She paused. "I'm here to let you know that _I_ would like to interview you. I shouldn't have put so much trust in my other workers. I should have taken more responsibility. I'm the boss. I should be the one who decides whether I employ someone or not."

Nick decided to turn around. "You what?"

"I would like to interview at lunch today."

"I'm workin' at lunch."

Miley laughed. "Honey, I'm your boss. I'll decide whether you're working or not, and I say that your free at lunch. You and I need to have a few words." She took a business card out of the pocket of her grey blazer and smiled at him. "The address of my office is on my card. Come to the office at around one thirty."

Nick stayed silent as he stared at the car. He slipped it into his pocket and stared up at her.

"So, will I be seeing you?" she asked.

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

"Then I guess you will."

Miley smiled at him. "Good! I'll see you then." She turned around and moved towards the door. "Oh, and by the way? Don't be late. I have plans." Miley then walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Nick let out the breath that he had been holding in and closed his eyes. _Damnit, she's a piece of work_. He picked up his phone and glanced at it. A text from Jimmy, a missed call from his mom, and three texts from Alex. Nick tossed his phone on the floor and sighed. He knew that he was in too deep with Alex, but that didn't stop him wanting to get out.

Tony walked into the bathroom and smirked at Nick. "Hey, man, what did the boss want?"

Nick shook his head. "Kid, you don't even want to know."

* * *

><p>Miley drummed her fingers on the mahogany desk and stared at the stylish clock on the wall.<em> Fifteen minutes late<em>. He was fifteen minutes late. She couldn't believe that she had told him not to be late, and he was already a quarter of an hour later than he was supposed to be. She rolled her eyes. She should have known that he wouldn't be there in time.

There was a knock on the door. Karen poked her head through the door and smiled at Miley. "Miss? There's a man called Nick here to see you. He says that you told him to come," she said, looking confused that someone was there to see Miley without her knowing.

Miley smiled up at Karen. "Ah, yes. Send him on in. Thank you, Karen." She listened as the door closed, just as Karen turned to tell Nick. She heard Karen's muffled voice as she told Nick to go on through. Miley straightened up in her chair and folded her hands on the desk, watching the door as she waited for Nick to come through.

The door swung up and Nick walked into the room. He nodded slightly in her direction. She took that as a handshake for him. He sat down in the chair in front of her desk and cleared his throat slightly. "So, what can I do for you?" he asked.

Miley smiled at him and let out a deep breath. "Like I said, I would like to _formally_ interview you." She cleared her throat and pulled a file from her drawer. "The guys handed me your forms and everything when they gave you the job. I read through them. There's just a couple of things I'd like to bring up with you." She opened the file and put her finger down on an empty space. "You didn't fill in where you're from."

"I'm not comfortable discussin' that."

"I'm afraid you'll have to if you want to keep this job."

Nick sighed. "I'm from the west side of town."

Miley raised her eyebrows slightly. "Which part of the west side?"

Nick swallowed slightly and looked at the ground. "I'm from Huerto Alturas," he mumbled.

Miley stayed silent for a moment before jotting it down on the paper. "And have you always lived there?" she asked softly, looking up to catch his gaze, but his eyes seemed to be glued to the ground.

"I guess so. My parents moved when my big brother was six, and I was born a couple of years later," he said, his voice still a low mumble as he spoke.

Miley nodded, careful not to pass judgement. She knew better than anybody that it killed like a knife in the gut when you knew that people were judging you before getting to know you. She had spent her whole life in high school being judged by the rich kids.

"And do you still live with your mom and dad or have you moved out?"

"I live with my parents," he mumbled.

Miley nodded. She paused. "You know, if you don't co-operate with me on this, this thing isn't going to work. I need my employees to be open and honest with me. I have a good relationship with each and every one of those men at the house. I want the same with you, but if you can't act the way that they do with me."

"Well, what do you want to know?"

Miley shrugged. "Tell me about your life. Your childhood, whether you went to college -"

Nick scoffed and shook his head. "Ma'am, I'm from Huerto Alturas. Of course I didn't go to college."

"Well then, you can tell me what you used to do instead of that." Miley smiled. "Go on. Tell me about your life."

Nick sighed and shook his head. "I've always lived in Huerto Alturas with my mom, dad and brothers. I went to high school there. I didn't hang out with the right kinds of people when I was there." He sighed. "A few guys went off to college and never came back. I stayed at home and worked at my uncle's gas station. Then I got this job. I guess that's about it."

"Any family responsibilities? I mean, a wife or girlfriend?"

Nick smirked. "Now now, boss, let's not get too personal."

"I need to know if you have any problems with working overtime. But if you don't answer, I suppose I'll just take that as a yes."

He paused, and then shook his head. "I've been single since I was seventeen. I've been datin' random girls for years, but none of them have stuck." He sighed and looked up at her. "Is that enough information for you?"

"One more question," she replied. She smirked. "How's your work ethic?"

"I like to get a job done. No games, no delays. I just like to have it done without any problems." He smirked slightly. "Is that all? I have to get back to work," he explained, already getting ready to get up.

"If you're in such a hurry, that will be all. But if I have any more problems with you like the ones yesterday, you'll be out of a job faster than you can say Huerto Alturas," she replied, rising to her feet and walking around the table. "I'll be keeping a close eye on you."

Nick winked. "I look forward to it."

They stood at the office door, but neither of them moved. Nick allowed his eyes to wander from her face down her body. He couldn't help but notice her perfect curves and her legs that seemed to go on for miles. As much as he hated to admit it, his boss had the perfect body. Her facial beauty had already made him stop and stare for a moment, but her body just added to the appeal.

As he looked her up and down, she was doing the same to him. She couldn't help but notice his impressive abs through his white v-neck and his bulging biceps, just visible at the t-shirt sleeves. His bouncy curls and his soft chocolate eyes had attracted her attention from the beginning, but she had to admit that she'd always loved a man with a good body.

"So, uh, I should be going," he said softly.

"Mm, I guess you should," Miley replied, glancing at the door handle and putting her hand on it. "I'll be up at the O'Connor house either tomorrow or the day after. I suppose I'll see you up there, huh?"

Nick nodded. "I guess you will. I'll see you around then." He cleared his throat and walked out of the office, leaving Miley alone with her cheeks a substantially pinker colour than they had been when he entered the room.

* * *

><p>Nick entered <em>The Lucky Shamrock<em> for what felt like the millionth time in his life. He looked around, clueless as to where he was expected to go. When he saw Alex's head in his usual booth, he took a deep breath and headed over to him for what he knew was going to be just another night of pressure from Alex.

He slipped into the seat across from Alex and sighed. "Hey, boss. What did you want me for?"

Alex smiled when he saw Nick. "Ah, Nicholas. How are you doing today?" he asked. He glanced at his beer on the table. "Would you like one? Luc, bring Nick here a beer!" he called. Alex turned back to face Nick and smiled slightly. "Now, kid. We have some talking to do. Have you thought any more about my offer?"

"Alex, I have this new job and -"

"And what does your new job have to do with the work I give you?" Alex sighed and shook his head. "Nick, my guys work at night. I suspect that this new job of yours is nine to five. You get home, take a shower, whatever you need to do, then you come out and work for me. Doesn't sound so difficult, does it?" Alex eyed Nick's expression and narrowed his eyes. "Kid, you ain't gonna get another chance like this in your life." He had clearly dropped his boss voice and gone back to his Huerto Alturas accent.

Nick nodded. "I know that. I just can't put my job on the line. My new boss made it clear that she don't want any trouble."

"You have a choice here, kid. You can move up and make twice the amount of money that you make now with me and make a better life for your momma and papa, or you can say no, and you can stay in the same position for the rest of your life." Alex watched Nick as he made his decision. "I can make a better life you, Nick. I can make your parents proud of you for what you're doing." When he realised that Nick wasn't budging, he smirked slightly and mumbled something in Irish. "_Sin é._"

Nick furrowed his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

Alex chuckled slightly at Nick's reply. "You seem to forget that my papa's Irish. He taught me the language, kid."

"Oh right, yeah. Well, what the hell does that mean?"

"I guess you'll never know." Alex reached for his wallet and threw it down on the table. He pulled out two crisp $100 bills and put them down on the table. "That could be what you earn on a night like this if you move on up, Nick. You can buy your momma the house she's always wanted. You can keep your little brother out of trouble. By moving up, you can keep that kid safe as well as giving your parents a better life." Alex shrugged. "It's all down to you."

Nick looked up. "What do you mean by 'a night like this'?"

"There's something happening over at the park tonight. Top secret." He winked at Nick and smirked. "I guess you'd know what it was if you took me up on my offer, huh?" Alex slipped out of the booth and stuck his wallet back in his pocket. "I'm trying to help you out here, Nick. If you move up now, soon enough, you could be in my position."

Nick stayed silent.

Alex sighed. "Call me if you change your mind, kid." He then turned and walked out of the bar, letting the door slam behind him.

Nick stayed in the booth, listening to the Irish traditional music that was playing on the speakers. Luc stared from behind the bar. Alex's dad, Padraig, emerged from the back room. He made his way over to the booth and slipped in where his son had once been sitting.

"What's my boy doing now?" he asked in a heavy Irish accent.

Nick smiled at Padraig. "What he's always doing."

Padraig sighed, disappointed. "I never wanted my boy to be the way he is. He just went off the rails a bit when he was a kid." He shook his head. "He's getting into trouble left right and centre, isn't he?" He shook his head once more. "Anyway, how's your ma doing?"

"She's good. Busy cooking, busy working. I think her and my papa are coming in here tonight."

"And what about little Frankie?"

Nick shrugged. "Probably getting sucked in my Alex."

Everybody in town trusted Padraig. Even if he was Alex's father, they all knew that he would never repeat a word that anybody said to his son. Padraig was a gentle, kind man. He loved to just help people. He didn't want anyone to be hurt by his boy just because they didn't agree with everything Alex did. Hell, even Padraig hated what Alex did. But Padraig knew not to stop him. Family or not, Alex had turned into a monster, and nobody wanted to stand in his way.

Padraig sighed. "You keep that boy safe, Nick. He's a good kid. I don't want my boy sucking him into his life. That little boy deserves better than a world like Alex's."

_Than a world like mine_, Nick thought. Instead of saying anything, Nick nodded. He slipped out of the booth and smiled at Padraig. "Thanks, sir. Hey, I better get home before my momma throws my dinner in the trash. I'll see you soon, though." Nick through a $5 dollar bill down on the table for his beer and walked out of the bar.

As Nick made his way down the street, he smiled slightly. Huerto Alturas was the kind of neighbourhood where everybody knew everybody else's name. Years ago, it was where all the immigrants from Mexico and South America went to live. Then the Irish came, and then the Italians. It was the part of town where you would find anyone who had foreign ancestors. The rest of town ... well, they all claimed to be 100% American.

Nick walked past the park. He couldn't help but look in. He saw about twelve members of the BB, many of which he recognised, standing in a line. Alex stood in front of them with one of his higher ranking members on either side of him. He was smirking slightly as he spoke to them. Behind him, another gang were entering the park. Nick recognised them as one of the gangs on the east side of town. They claimed to be 100% Latino.

Nick quickened his pace at the sight of the other gang. He knew what was going to happen. It would end up being a drug deal or something that would end badly. Somebody would end up shot or stabbed or beaten up, and they would be left abandoned in the park. Well, Nick wasn't going to be around when the cops showed up and arrested everyone in sight.

He walked on, thinking about his family as he walked. All four of his grandparents had been Italian. He remembered his mother telling him that she and her parents had moved to America when she was three. His father's parents, however, had moved to America before he was born. Both families had been looking for a better life. Nick smiled at the irony of it all. His grandparents had moved to America for a better life, and what had they gotten? Two grandsons in a gang and one that was pretty close to it.

He stopped outside his family's house and looked up. He could hear his mother singing as she cooked inside. He could hear his father turning the pages of his newspaper as the television blared in the living room. He could hear Frankie laughing in the back yard with his friend, Thomas, as they threw a baseball across the yard, just as they did every single night. The sounds he heard almost reminded him of a normal family. But no, his family wasn't normal. His family was the strangest thing a man could ever think of. A son on the run, another in a gang, one that was heading down the wrong road, and two parents that acted like it was all fine.

Nick pushed open the front door. "MOM, I'M HOME." He walked on in to the kitchen and smiled at his mom.

His mother saw him and her entire expression brightened up. She opened her arms. "My baby boy is home." She hugged him and whispered something in Italian that he couldn't hear. "How was work today?"

He ignored her question. "Why so excited to see me? I just saw you this morning." He was confused as to why she was so happy to see him, but hell, he liked to see her happy. He wasn't going to ruin it by going into too much detail, so he kept his question simple.

"No reason. It's just been a good day."

His father walked in to the kitchen. "Is dinner ready?" he asked, walking up to his wife and wrapping an arm around her face. "I think Frank's getting a bit hungry out there." He kissed his wife's temple and smiled. "It smells amazing, by the way, dear," he whispered. He walked to the fridge and took out a beer. "Nick, my boy. How was work today?"

"As usual. Boring."

His father chuckled and patted his son on the shoulder. "That's what work is like, son."

Ten minutes later, the four of them were sitting around the room, eating his mother's pasta and listening to his father talk about his day at work. Nick and Frankie glanced up at one another every so often, but no one disturbed the peace, despite the elephant in the room. They knew what they needed to talk about, but no one wanted to. They knew what it would lead to – yet another fight. As if they needed that.

* * *

><p>Miley entered her apartment and kicked the door closed behind her. She switched on the lights and tossed her bag down on the kitchen counter. She looked around the empty apartment. Another night on her own. Well, that was a change.<p>

Ever since she had broken up with Liam two months before, she had spent night after night on her own in the apartment, eating leftover Chinese food and watching reruns with her cat in the living room. She knew it sounded sad. Her boyfriend cheated on her, she kicked him out and then she spent every night from then on with her cat, but in all honesty, she knew the reason why she spent every single night alone. She knew that intimidated men. She knew that she had control issues. It was just the way she worked. She always had to be on top of a situation. She couldn't function otherwise. She had realised years ago that she was lucky to have a guy like Liam that would put up with her controlling attitude, but she wasn't going to spend her life with a man that was going to be unfaithful. She just wouldn't do that to herself.

She pulled out the leftover Chinese from the previous night from the fridge and moved to the couch for another night. She glanced at her phone. No missed calls, no _incoming _calls, no unnoticed text messages. It was just her on her own once again.

It wasn't even like she had a family to turn to. She had moved away from home after high school. She went to college and worked as a waitress until she had saved up enough money to rent an apartment. When she got her job, she had started to save pennies to try and buy an apartment of her own. Eventually, she had succeeded. But living in an apartment on her own meant one thing – night after night of loneliness.

Her cat, Whiskers, came and curled up beside her, nuzzling her head into Miley's lap, urging her to scratch her behind the ears. Miley didn't respond. Instead, she looked out the window and stared at the darkening sky.

She supposed that she had no one else to blame for her loneliness. She should have stayed near home, close to her sisters and parents. Close to her brothers. Close to her friends. She never should have stayed away. She sighed as she thought about her past choices. She was right. No one to blame but herself ...

"Just you and me, huh, Whiskers?"

She thought back two months. Back to when she was with Liam. She had thought they were good together. She had thought that they were going to work. She had pictured them growing old together with kids and a house in the suburbs with the picket fence and the friendly (yet overly nosy) neighbours. She had pictured them together with a mini-van and their own family home. Then she had decided to surprise him one night. She was going to come home early and make a romantic dinner. They would eat together and talk about their future. She had it all planned out. She had stopped at the grocery store and headed home. When she entered the apartment, she heard noises from her bedroom. She walked in and found Liam in their bed with the yoga instructor that lived across the hall. That night, she ended things. She threw him out of her apartment and hadn't spoken to him since.

Miley headed in to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine and took a sip as she stared at the cupboard. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It would all get better eventually. She would meet a nice guy and they would settle down and start a family together. That's how it worked for her sister. Certainly it would work for her too, right?

She pulled the fridge open to store the wine back in. When she put the wine bottle in the fridge door, the door suddenly came down onto the tile. Glass bottles smashed and cartons spilled their contents out onto the tiles.

Miley shrieked in horror. She jumped back from the glass on the floor and covered her mouth in shock. "Damnit," she muttered. "Just what I need." She went and got a brush, muttering under her breath as she went. "My life is just freaking perfect."

* * *

><p><strong>WOTCHA. How are you guys? Thanks to all of you YWFAT readers who decided to check out this story! Means a lot x Please leave a review and tell me what you thought of this chapter. Love you all x<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! :) Just wanted to let you guys know – In the first chapter, Miley goes out on a date with a guy called Liam. When I wrote Chapter 3, I completely forgot about that. It had been that long that I couldn't remember what I had and hadn't written. I know, it probably makes me a pretty crappy writer if I forget what I have and haven't written. But whatever. We'll just go with the idea that they are TWO DIFFERENT LIAMs. After all, it is quite a common name ;)**

* * *

><p>Miley pulled up outside the O'Connor house and got out, looking up at the house. It was supposed to be finished two weeks ago, but Mrs O'Connor had changed her mind so many times that they were way behind schedule. She glanced at her watch. Her workers should have been working for at least another hour, but there was no sound coming from the house. She needed one of them to go to her apartment and fix her fridge, but she had no idea how that was going to happen if there was no one there to help her.<p>

She pushed open the front door and walked inside. "Hello? Adam? Are you here?" she called. She stepped into the house, her heels making a clicking sound on the hardwood floors as she walked across the entrance hall. As she walked, she heard footsteps coming across the landing at the top of the stairs. "Hello?" she called nervously. _So help me God, if there's a squatter in this house right now ..._ She narrowed her eyes slightly to see up the stairs as a figure emerged from the shadows.

"How can I be of your service, ma'am?"

Miley let out a deep breath when she realised that it was Nick at the top of the stairs. "Nick. Hi." She smiled up at him before continuing. "I came here to ask one of the guys to fix something at my apartment but there's nobody here. Where did everybody go?" she asked.

Nick shrugged. "Home, I guess. They finished ahead of time this afternoon."

"What are you still doing here?" she asked, confused.

Nick shrugged once more. Miley was convinced that she saw a hint of smile flash across his face. "My work day ain't over yet, is it? Why should I get paid for a full day of work when I ain't done the work that you're payin' me to do?" He headed down the stairs towards her. "If you'd like, I can get started on that work for you."

"I don't think -"

He smirked and interrupted her. "Ma'am, if you don't mind me sayin', I don't see anybody else here willin' to help you out. You say you need help, I'll hep you. You just gotta let me know what to do and I'll sure as hell do it."

Miley glanced at her watch. She really didn't have time to go and look for another worker over at the office, and Nick was offering to help her out. "I'll give you a bonus, I promise," she said softly to him as she headed towards the door.

"No problem."

"Would you like a ride?" she asked, heading towards her car.

"I've got my bike," he replied. He walked towards the side of the house and wheeled out a beaten up old motorcycle.

Miley smiled softly. "Get in. I'll drive you to my place and I'll drive you back to get your bike when you're done. It will be quicker this way, trust me. I don't want to keep you any longer than necessary by losing you in the traffic." She nodded towards the passenger seat door. "Come on. It's no trouble."

Nick looked at the car cautiously. "You don't have to do that."

"It will be quicker," she repeated.

Nick bit his tongue and glanced at the car once more. "Eh, okay." He climbed into the passenger seat just as she climbed in on her own side and quickly started the car. "What is you need done, anyway?" he asked.

"My fridge door fell off."

Nick laughed loudly. "I'm sorry, your _what_ fell off?" He chuckled. "You broke your refrigerator. How the hell did you do that, ma'am?" He glanced out the window, noticing that they weren't exactly driving towards the working class area of town. "Damn."

Miley blushed. "It just fell off, okay?" She smiled slightly in his direction. "And by the way, you don't have to keep calling me ma'am. You can just call me Miley. It's what the other guys call me, or at least the ones that realise that being friendly with me won't lead to them losing their jobs." She opened the electric gates to the underground car park of her apartment building and pulled in to her usual spot.

"This is it?" he asked.

Miley giggled. "Well, not in the car park, obviously. I live upstairs," she teased. She got out of the car and led him to the elevator. She pressed the button and waited patiently at the elevator doors. She turned to look at him. "If my cat bugs you, I can take her out onto the balcony, if you'd like," she offered.

Nick shook his head and smiled slightly. "No problem, ma'am. I mean, Miley." They stepped inside the elevator. Nick cleared his throat awkwardly. "Is your boyfriend going to be around while I'm here? I mean, I don't want him to think -"

"I'm single," she replied stiffly, looking ahead at the elevator doors with no emotion on her face. She knew that he was shocked, but she wasn't in the mood to explain the situation to someone she had only met days beforehand. "I have been for months." The elevator doors opened and she stepped out. "Well? Come on, then!" She led him across the landing and to the door of her apartment. She glanced over her shoulder at the apartment across the hall and put her key in the lock.

Nick glanced at the apartment across from Miley's and smirked. He could hear the sound of a bed banging against a wall and a woman crying out in pleasure. "Some guy's gettin' lucky tonight," he joked.

Miley's expression tightened. Her eyes turned glassy. She glanced over her shoulder at the apartment and bit her lip. "Yeah, well ..." She trailed off and pushed the door open. "Come on in. You'll be finished in no time," she mumbled. She let him in and slammed the door shut.

"I was just kiddin'. You know that, right?"

Miley nodded slightly and put on a smile. "Yeah, I know." She led him in to the kitchen and leaned against the counter. "Well, there's the fridge," she said softly, nodding towards the built in fridge. "Can you fix it?" she asked.

Nick nodded. "No problem. You got any tools?"

Miley went out into the hall and came back with a tool box from the closet in the hallway.

"You don't seem like the kind of woman to keep tools in your apartment," he commented as he began to work on the fridge.

"I'm not," she replied. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "My, uh, my ex left it behind when he moved out." She glanced down at her feet and twiddled her thumbs to try and distract herself. "I guess he wanted to get out so fast that he forgot about his tools."

"He _sounds_ like a tool."

Miley looked up and smiled slightly. "You don't know the half of it."

"Was he gay? Or just stupid?"

Miley breathed deeply. "You don't even want to know." She turned and moved into the living room. "Let me know when you're done. I'll be in the living room." She grabbed a wine glass and a bottle of her favourite wine from the counter and walked out of the room.

When Nick finished the refrigerator, he turned around and followed her into the living. "Uh, Miley? I've finished the refrigerator," he said as he entered through the French doors. He leaned against the door frame and watched as she put her wine glass down on the coffee table in front of her.

Miley smiled up at him. "Would you like a glass of wine?"

"I should really get back."

She bit her lip and looked up at him helplessly. "Please, Nick. This is the first time I've had company in my apartment in two months. Please just sit with me and have some wine. We can just talk. One glass, and I'll drive you back to get your bike. I promise."

Nick sighed. Who the hell was he to say no to a woman as vulnerable as Miley? She seemed so helpless. So lost. He had to stay and keep her company. He had to be a good person. He may as well try to cancel out the sins he had committed with the BB, even though he knew the things he had done could never be cancelled out. "I guess one glass won't hurt."

Miley's face broke out into a smile. She rose to her feet and went to get a second wine glass from the kitchen for him. Nick sat down on the couch where Miley had been sitting and looked around her living room. Pictures of what he assumed was her family were scattered across the room – on tables, on the fireplace, on the bookshelves. They seemed to be pretty normal, or at least normal compared to his family.

Miley returned to the room and sat down beside him. She poured him some wine and handed him his glass. "Here you go!" she said cheerfully. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs.

"So what's the story with this ex of yours?" he asked.

Miley pursed her lips and ran her finger around the top of her wine glass. "He was a jackass, that's the story." She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "Those people across the hall, that's my neighbour ... with my ex. He, uh, cheated on me with my neighbour two months ago. I kicked him out." She sighed and took a sip from her wine. "I guess I kind of wish it didn't happen, but this way, I can focus more on work."

Nick stayed silent for a minute, then he smiled slightly. "What kind of idiot would cheat on a woman like you?"

Miley blushed. "Just because of what Liam did, it doesn't mean that you have to be so nice to me. It's fine ..." She took a sip from her wine. "Besides, I probably deserved it. I didn't spend enough time with him. I was a complete workaholic. Who wouldn't choose a yoga instructor over an interior designer?"

"Me."

"Stop flattering me!"

"I'm serious! Yoga instructors strike me as easy, to be honest." He chuckled. "I dated a yoga instructor once. She was beggin' me to do her every night. Damn, she was good, though." He winked at Miley and laughed. "Kiddin'! I'm serious, though. I would definitely pick you over a yoga instructor."

Miley smiled at him. "Now now. No sucking up to me because I'm your boss," she teased.

"I'm not!" he defended.

"Riiiight," she joked. She sat up straight. "So, you live in Huerto Alturas, huh? What's that like?" she asked.

Nick shrugged. "Messy, I guess," he replied.

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Messy?"

It stuck him that, because of the fact that she was clearly from out of town, she wasn't as aware of the BB as many other people that had spent their whole lives in the same town. He cleared his throat and smiled. "Bad part of town, I guess."

She giggled. "Well, we all know that! But in what way?"

Nick smiled. "I guess in every way."

Half an hour later, the bottle was finished and they were getting on like a house on fire. It was as if the original tension between them was gone. They no longer acted like colleagues, but rather friends. They knew all the interesting things that they had to know about each other.

"So I said to my mom, "Why don't you come over and visit me?" She said that she didn't want to fly. I don't live _that_ far away from home. If she didn't want to fly, could she not have driven over, for God's sakes?" Miley was explaining to Nick one of the many times that her mother had refused to visit her. Not wanting to fly was just one of her mother's many excuses. Miley knew deep down that it was because her mom hated the fact that she had moved from home.

There was a knock on Miley's door. She put down her wine glass and headed out to the hall. She smiled slightly as she pulled open the door. She had no idea that she would get on with Nick as well as she did. She had no idea that he was as funny as he was. He was kind, sweet, funny, patient. He was perfect.

When she looked up, her jaw dropped slightly at the sight of Liam. He was leaning against the door frame, his hand pressed against it. He looked up at her, stubble growing on his face. He smelled of beer and cigarettes. When he saw her, he smiled goofily.

"Miley. Baby." He reached out his right hand to her and pulled her close. "I missed you."

"Get away from me."

"Baby ..."

"What are you doing here, Liam?"

Liam sighed. "She cheated on me. Candice cheated on me. Can you believe that? The whore cheated on me, damnit!" Liam looked at Miley and smiled. "How about we get her back for what she did to you, baby?"

Miley felt a hand slip around her waist as a voice said, "Who's this, Mi?" She looked up and saw Nick standing beside her, glaring at Liam.

"Uh, Liam was just leaving, _babe_."

Liam backed away. "You, uh, you have a boyfriend?" he asked.

Nick put his hand on the door to close it and smirked slightly. "Yeah, she does." He looked Liam up and down. "So _you're_ Liam, huh? Not as impressive as people make you out to be, are you?" Nick lifted his hand from Miley's waist and waved as he smiled at Liam. "Bye now!" Nick then slammed the door shut in Liam's face.

Miley smiled up at Nick. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that, you know."

Nick peered through the peephole to make sure Liam was gone. "I know I didn't have to. I just listened to all that you said before and I didn't want him to think that he could come over here once his yoga instructor moved on from him. It ain't fair on you." He smiled down at her. "Besides, I like to mess with people."

"Well, thanks anyway. It was really sweet of you." Miley smiled once more at Nick. "So you didn't want him to think he could just come over here whenever she dumped him, huh? And they say chivalry's dead." She glanced at her keys in her bag. "I should really drive you back to get your bike, huh?"

Nick didn't move his eyes from her face. "Mhm."

Miley moved her eyes back up to his and stared. "But neither of us is really in a fit state to drive, right?"

He moved closer and put a hand on her waist. "Nope."

"I'm your boss."

He leaned his head down slowly. "So?"

"I don't date employees."

His lips were centimetres from hers. "I'm sure you can make an exception." He smirked as he leaned closer. "Besides," he whispered. "Who said anything about dating?" Without another word, Nick planted his lips on hers, placing his free hand in her hair, running his fingers through it and grasping it desperately as the kiss slowly began to deepen.

Miley wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her body closer, pressing their bodies close together. Miley realised that no man had ever kissed her the way Nick did, not even Liam. It was like a Fourth of July fireworks display was going off inside her body when he touched her. Every time his fingers ran through her hair or his hand pressed against her lower back, she felt like more and more fireworks were going off inside her.

After a while, when she had run out of air and so had he, she pulled away and bit her lip. "Do you want to sleep on the couch tonight?" she asked. "I mean, like I said, neither of us is really fit to drive."

Nick chuckled and shook his head. "Uh, yeah, okay." Miley went into the closet and took out a blanket and a spare pillow. "I guess I'll see you in the morning then, huh?" he asked. When she nodded, he glanced at the living room over his shoulder. "Uh, okay then. See you in the morning." He resisted the urge to kiss her again, instead turning around and walking into her living room, gently closing the door behind him.

When Nick disappeared into the living room, Miley smiled and bit her lip as she slid down the door in the hall, stunned by the passion and sheer lust there was in that kiss. She closed her eyes and played it over in her head. Sure, she was breaking every rule she had ever made for herself when it came to her employees, but hell, if that kiss was anything to go by, she was pretty sure that it was all worth it.

* * *

><p>Miley lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. She glanced at the clock beside her bed. She had been tossing and turning for two full hours, thinking non-stop about the kiss. She sighed. She had rules. She had lasted years without breaking them. Then a certain brown-eyed man from Huerto Alturas came along and screwed it all up.<p>

"Dear God," she mumbled, thinking once more about the way his lips felt on hers.

She wanted nothing more than him. She wanted him and nothing else in that moment. His lips on hers had felt like she was going to explode with pleasure. He had filled her up with sparks. It was ... amazing.

_No_, she warned herself. _You promised yourself. _He was an employee, for crying out loud. Rules were rules, after all. No relationships with employees. Scratch that, no _feelings_ for the employees. It was the way she worked things. The only reason that she was a success was because of her rules when it came to love and romance. She closed her eyes and shook her head. She was so damn confused.

Miley slipped out of bed and headed over to her window. At three in the morning, the lights of the silent city below twinkled in the darkness. She was going to have to face the outside world once the sun came up, she realised. She couldn't hide out in her apartment with her employee, who, she might add, was incredibly good looking.

She leaned against the window. She had felt nothing for Nick, or so she had thought until the kiss. She didn't know how it had happened or why. And when Liam came to the door ... Miley didn't even want to think about what that was. All she knew was that, until Nick came and protected her from a drunken Liam, she couldn't have cared less about how he smelled or how his plain t-shirt defined his bulging muscles or how his eyes twinkled slightly whenever he smiled. She wanted to kick herself, but the kiss had somehow made her feel more strongly about him than she ever had anyone.

_I wonder if he has a -_

She stopped herself. She wasn't going to ask herself that question. Of course, he was incredibly handsome and sexy, but there was no way she was going there. She would suffer in silence. After all, that was what she had been doing for months. Suffering in silence, that is.

Miley found herself feeling slightly flushed as she thought about Nick. He was definitely the best looking of her employees. _I wouldn't mind a bit of –_ Once more, she stopped herself. She wasn't even going to think about it, or more, she was going to stop thinking about it. She gulped as some of the things he could do to her went through her mind. She shook her head. No. He was her employee. Nothing more, nothing less. He worked for her. She was his boss.

It could never work between them.

She thought back to when she met him. She didn't _like_ him, but she sure as hell didn't hate him either. She went on to think about their meeting. It wasn't as if she liked him then, either. Then, it was more that she wanted to improve the working relationship and get along with him better, just as she did with all her employees. But then she asked him to help her. But then Liam showed up. But then Nick kissed her, and everything changed from then.

She kept replaying it in her head like a movie. The way his hands felt on her skin, the way his lips moved against hers, the way he ran his fingers through her hair, the way he looked at her when it was all over.

Miley was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of the front door. She crept over to her bedroom door and peered in to the hallway to see an empty room. She walked across the hall to see the living room, but there was no one lying on the couch. The blanket was neatly folded with the pillow on top, sitting on the coffee table. Nick's shoes had disappeared from the end of the couch. She sighed, disappointed. She thought he was going to stay.

When she saw a piece of note paper from the kitchen lying on top of the blanket, she walked over and picked it up.

_Sorry. Had to go. Urgent. Explain later. - Nick_

The messy scrawl of the handwriting reminded her of her father's, reminding her more and more of her family and her home, in turn making her feel even more lonely than she had in weeks.

* * *

><p>Nick pulled his bike up in front of the Lucky Shamrock and pulled off his helmet. <em>What the fuck does Alex want at four in the morning? <em>He tossed his helmet down on the pavement and took out a cigarette, quickly lighting it. If he was going to face Alex at four in the morning, he was going to need to stay calm, and at that moment, the only way to do that was with a little nicotine in his system.

Instead of going inside, Nick pushed open the creaky gate between the Lucky Shamrock and the grocery store. He walked down a dark, silent alleyway and through to the backyard of the bar. When he reached the courtyard, he saw Alex and Danny, his second in command, leaning against the wall. At the sight of Nick, they both stood up straight.

Alex smiled and reached out to shake Nick's hand. "Nick! Good to see you! Hope I wasn't disturbing anything."

Nick didn't answer. He slowly shook Alex's hand and cleared his throat. "What the hell am I doin' here, Alex?" he asked. "It's four in the morning and I have work tomorrow. My boss will kill me if I'm late."

Alex's smile faded slightly. He stuck his right hand in his pocket and scratched his head with his left. He glanced at Danny, then back at Nick. "Kid, I'm afraid we need an answer about you moving up tonight. Danny here, well, his papa isn't doing so good. Danny's taking a month or two off from the BB to take care of his pa. I need someone new to back me up until Danny gets back. If you aren't ready to move up, Nick, I need to start looking at other options, like your friend Jimmy."

Nick gulped. No way was he letting Alex drag Jimmy into something that was between the two of them. "Why Jimmy? Alex, that kid can hardly hit a target with a bullet. How the hell do you expect him to have your back?" Nick asked.

"I'm afraid I'm running out of options, Nick." Alex sighed and glanced at the time on his phone. "Kid, the BB is an important part of all of our lives around here. We need people who are going to have our backs. Jimmy may not be all that good with a gun, but he makes up for that with his fists." Alex chuckled and glanced at Danny. "Kid, look at it this way. You're single. You need to protect and provide for your brothers and your parents. If you take me up on my offer, you can do all of that. You'll be safe with me around. You ain't gonna get shot and you ain't gonna get in any knife fights. All it is is more responsibility." Alex's smile widened slightly. "Your brother was able to do it, after all."

Nick clenched his fists at the mention of his older brother, Joe. Joe had left Huerto Alturas a long time ago, and Nick knew better than anybody that it was because of the BB. He exhaled deeply and looked at Alex. "If I accept, my family will be safe, right?"

Alex nodded. "For as long as they live in Huerto Alturas."

Nick hesitated. He knew that moving up was the wrong thing to do. Hell, he hated being in the BB as much as the people around the city hated the idea of it. But if it kept both Jimmy and his family safe, Nick was willing to do anything.

"I guess I'm in, then."

Alex's smile broke out into a full on grin as he looked at Nick. "That's my boy!" He patted Nick on the back. "Thanks, kid." Danny handed Alex a piece of paper, which Alex handed to Nick. "I have a job for you on Wednesday night. I'll call you and let you know more about it some time this week." Alex smiled once more at Nick. "You're a good kid, Nick." Alex and Danny then left the courtyard, leaving Nick alone.

As he made his way out of the courtyard and to his bike, Nick regretted his actions. He knew that moving up in the BB was going to end in disaster, but he _had_ to protect Jimmy and his family. If Nick moved on, it stopped Jimmy from having to, and it stopped Frankie from ever having to join the gang at all. It meant that his parents would never be attacked in their homes or robbed by members of the BB. It meant a lot of things that would make life a hell of a lot safer for all. If it meant that those close to him were safer than they were, Nick didn't care what he had to do. Looking after his family and friends was his number one priority.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm getting faster and faster when it comes to this, huh? I guess that's my summer break kicking in effectively :) Thanks for all your reviews on the previous chapter. I read them all and they were much appreciated. Maybe you guys could do the same with this chapter and review with your thoughts and opinions? Thanks for reading x<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

Miley walked in through the office doors and up the stairs to the waiting room. Before the doors had even closed, Karen was out of her seat and rushing frantically towards Miley. Miley groaned in to herself. It was too early to deal with Karen, who never seemed to be in a bad mood, no matter what time it was or what the weather was like.

"Miley! Good morning. I got you your coffee. It's on your desk. Here's your mail! Oh, by the way, Aaron up at the O'Connor house called first thing. He'd like you to head over at lunch and check everything out. He wants you to make sure that they're doing everything as you want it," Karen explained.

Miley exhaled and took the mail from Karen. "Okay, I'll head over after my lunch meeting with Ms Collins." She tossed some mail back on Karen's desk. "Sort that out for me, would you?" Miley turned on her heel and took the mail she had kept from the waiting room to her office, slamming the door behind her, unable to deal with Karen's cheery disposition for much longer. She grabbed her Starbucks cup from her desk and took a gulp of coffee.

"What have I got today?" she mumbled to herself as she headed to her computer.

She opened up her schedule and saw that she was due to check up on all the projects in the area to see how they were getting on. She grabbed her bag and headed out the office door. In the waiting room, she stopped beside Karen's desk and smiled. "I'm going out to check on all the projects. If anyone comes to see me, tell them to reschedule or call me tomorrow morning," she ordered. She then turned on her heel and headed straight for the elevator.

Once in her car, she quickly started it up and began to drive towards the Robertson house to check on their extension to the back of their house. As she drove, she began to think about how much she wanted to delay her visit to the O'Connor house.

She didn't understand why Nick had left her apartment without telling her. She understood that, of course, the kiss had probably been awkward for him. What guy wanted to kiss his emotionally damaged boss? _But still_, she thought. _A heads up would have been nice._

Nick was different to her other employees. Never had she thought about the other men like she had Nick. She had to admit, most of her employees were about twice her age, taken or just not her type, but there were still a few single men that worked for her, and she had never looked or felt for them what she felt for Nick. She thought back to the kiss, and the feeling it gave her. Butterflies in her stomach, heart racing, head spinning.

She abruptly stopped her car, resulting in the beeping of many horns behind her. Ignoring them, she made a swift u-turn and headed along the shore towards the O'Connor house. She wasn't going to let it slide. A kiss like that followed by an unexplained exit needed an explanation, and she sure as hell was going to get one.

Miley slammed her foot down onto the brake outside the O'Connor house. The screeching of her tyres made two of her employees, carrying a piece of furniture inside, turn and look around to find the source of the noise. She got out of her car and slammed the door behind her.

"Where's Aaron?" she snapped.

Mike, a tall and strong man, stood tall and cleared his throat. "In the kitchen," he replied.

Miley marched off without responding. She wanted to get everything finished up with Aaron before she found Nick. She walked into the kitchen and found Aaron working on the fixing the doors to cupboards along the walls. When she walked in, Aaron turned.

"Miley, hey. I wanted to talk to you about the house. We've gotten things done pretty fast. We were behind schedule, but we pushed harder and we're back on track. I just wondered if you could have a quick look around and check that everything's the way you want it," he explained. He put down his drill on the counter and took a step towards her. "Now, if you could just start with -"

"The upstairs bathroom? I'd love to."

"I was going to say -"

"You stay here. Finish the cupboards. I'll take a quick look around upstairs and let you know what I think." Miley turned on her heel and marched out of the kitchen. She headed up the stairs and straight into the main upstairs bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Nick, who was lying on his back under the sink, glanced in her direction. "What can I do for you, ma'am?" he asked, not moving from his position. He grabbed a spanner from his tool box and began to fix some of the pipes. "Is there somethin' you need, or are you just here for a check-up? Because, if you ask me, I'm doin' pretty damn good."

"You know why I'm here," she hissed.

"Can't say I do."

Miley narrowed her eyes slightly and took a step towards him. "Put that thing down," she ordered. She glanced down at his tool box and kicked it out of the way. "Where the hell did you go last night? I went in there to talk to you and I find a note telling me that you had to go. So, tell me. Where did you go? Was it as urgent as you thought it was?"

Nick sat up in silence, refusing to look at her or say anything. He threw his spanner onto the floor and closed his eyes. "You don't want nothin' to do with me. I'm trouble." He opened his eyes and looked up at her. "Why don't you go and call Preppy from last night? I'm pretty sure he'll do as much ass-lickin' as you need him to. Now if you don't mind, I have to get this done." He picked up his spanner and turned his back on her.

"That's not an explanation."

"Who cares?"

"We aren't fourteen years old anymore, Nick. 'Who cares' isn't exactly a mature answer."

Nick spun around and stood up. "You want mature? Ma'am, if you want to see mature, you can head on over to _my_ part of town. We'll see how well your maturity goes down round there." Nick froze and let out a deep breath. He closed his eyes and seemed to count to ten. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm tired, that's all." He opened the door for Miley. "Ma'am, I think you should go."

"Not until you tell me why you just skipped out on me last night."

Nick sighed. "Ma'am, I told you. I'm trouble."

"Since when did you call me ma'am? I told you to call me Miley. Now I want a better explanation than 'I'm trouble'." Miley paused for a second. "Did that kiss freak you out? Because if it did, that's fine. You just have to say so and I'll back off. You can -"

"It's not about the damn kiss," Nick snapped.

Miley hesitated. "Then what is it? Maybe I sound a bit obsessive right now, but ..." She trailed off and closed her eyes. "I'll tell you this because I think that honesty is the best policy." She sighed. "Nick, I haven't met a nice guy in a long, long time. Last night, you sat with me and listened to me. You helped me out with my ex. I just ... I know that I probably sound insane, and to be quite honest, I probably am at this point. But I've been thinking about this all night, and I know that you felt the same way I did about that kiss. No one just skips out on a girl after a kiss like that."

"Miley, you don't want to know why I left last night. Trust me. All you need to know is that you need to stay away from me, for your own sake."

"And if I can't?"

"Then you ain't safe."

Miley took a deep breath. "I haven't been safe in a long time." She closed her eyes. "If you have anything else to say to me, you know where my office is. Come by and see me, if you have to." Miley sighed and shook her head. "I guess I'll see you soon." She turned around and walked from the bathroom, leaving Nick alone with his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Nick pulled up outside <em>The Lucky Shamrock<em> and walked inside. He immediately saw Alex sitting in his regular booth, waiting for him. Nick walked over and slid in opposite him. He looked at Alex and narrowed his eyes slightly, examining the new scar on Alex's forehead. However, he didn't ask. He knew better than to ask the boss of the BB about his battle scars.

"Nick," Alex said, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Glad to see you, kid." He cleared his throat. "Can I get you a beer? Vodka? Anything?"

Nick shook his head. "I have to get back to work." He sighed. "Alex, what am I doing here?"

"It's about Wednesday night. That job I need you to do for me." Alex slid an envelope across the table. "Don't open it. Not here. But in that envelope, there's $800. I need you to go to the park at nine and pick up a package for me from the BL," Alex explained.

Nick had been in the BB long enough to know that 'package' meant 'drugs'. "Alex ... I don't do drugs. You know that."

"Well, you knew what came with the job when you accepted my offer." Alex drained his bottle. "You know, if you want to change your minds, I can always go and visit Jimmy at the garage. I'm sure he'll be glad to accept my offer." Alex put his hand on the envelope. "Yeah, I'll do that. I'll go and see Jimmy."

Nick clenched his teeth. "Leave Jimmy out of this."

"Well, what else am I supposed to do, Nicholas? You don't want to do it. You're the only one I trust enough to do this well. I guess I can trust Jimmy, but we all know that he'll never be you, no matter how hard the kid tries." Alex took a deep breath. "You made your choice last night, Nick. I didn't expect you to go back on that. But if you really don't want to do this for me, I guess I can see Jimmy."

"I said leave Jimmy out of this."

"Then do the job."

Nick snatched the envelope. "Fine. But I ain't doin' any more drug deals. I'm clean, Alex. I ain't done drugs since I was seventeen and I ain't gettin' back into that crap." Nick shoved the envelope in his back pocket and stood up. "I have to get back to work."

"Will I see you here tonight?"

"Doubt it." With that, Nick stormed out of the bar, letting the double doors slam behind him, silencing the bar and making everyone turn to the source of the bang.

Once he was on his way, he drove straight past the turn-off towards the O'Connor house, instead going straight into town. He sped through the streets, his knuckles turning white from the pressure he was putting on the handlebars of his bike. He narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't want any of the drug shit. He had finished with that a long time ago. He didn't need to get back into the drug scene. He had told everybody when he was in high school that he was done, and he had meant it. He didn't want to take them, he didn't want to deal them, he didn't want to 'pick up packages'. If something was drug-related, he didn't want anything to do with it. But did he have a choice? No. It was either him or Jimmy, and Nick wasn't going to get Jimmy dragged into something that Alex clearly wanted him to do. Nick knew better than anyone that the drugs wasn't something personal against him or Jimmy. He knew that Alex was only doing it to get back at his brother for skipping out on the BB.

Nick slammed on the brakes once he arrived. He pulled off his helmet and walked inside the building. He ran up the stairs, two at a time, and walked inside to the reception area, where he saw a small blonde woman behind a desk. When she saw him, she bit her lip and smirked slightly.

"How can I help you?" she asked, giving him the once over from behind her desk.

Nick rolled his eyes slightly. She didn't need to be so obvious about her attraction towards him. He could tell by the way she was looking at him like he was a piece of meat thrown into the lion enclosure at the zoo. "I'm here to see Miley," he grunted.

"I'm afraid she's busy at the moment. If you would like to sit down, I can -"

Nick ignored the blonde woman and slipped behind her desk. He headed straight for the door into the office, ignoring her demands to stop. He felt her small hand on his bicep, but he shrugged her off and headed into the office. He kicked the door shut behind him and turned the lock.

Miley looked up from her computer and raised her eyebrows when she saw him. "You showed up sooner than I thought you would," she commented. Miley rose from her chair and walked around her desk. She leaned against the front of it and folded her arms across her chest. "Now, you can explain to me why you're at my office instead of the O'Connor house. My men didn't hire you to slack."

"I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About why I skipped out on you last night."

Miley hesitated. She bit her lip slightly as she examined him, deciding whether or not to hear him out. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Hell, why not? I'm listening," she muttered. She looked at him, waiting for his explanation.

"Do you remember when I told you were I was from? Huerto Alturas ain't exactly the best part of town. It's rough. Hell, you step out your front door and you have a fifty per-cent chance that somebody's going to put a bullet in your head." Nick shook his head. "Anyway, I told you today that I'm trouble, and I am." He took a deep breath. "You know, after I tell you this, you're goin' to want to fire me. But when I'm not workin' for you, I ain't a good guy. I do bad things." Nick closed his eyes and gulped, not opening them. He didn't want to see her face when he told her. "In Huerto Alturas, if somebody in your family ain't in the gang, your family ain't safe. In my family ... that person's me. I do bad things to keep my family safe. I ain't proud of it, but if it keeps my family safe, I'll do it." He opened his eyes, but avoided her gaze. "Fire me if you want. I just thought you should know."

Miley stayed silent, studying him. She looked him up and down. He wore a pair of faded, worn jeans and a plain black t-shirt. She noticed the bottom of a tattoo at the bottom of his sleeve. He had stubble growing on his chin, and his hair was messy, as if he had just gotten out of bed. He wore a pair of work black sneakers. _They don't strike me as gang member shoes_, she thought to herself, before mentally hitting herself. Her employee just told her that he was in a gang and she thinks of his _shoes_?

"I admire your honesty," she said. "It takes guts to come clean about something like that." She took a deep breath. "I'm not going to fire you. What you do in your spare time doesn't matter to me, as long as it doesn't affect my business in any way." Miley walked around the desk and sat in her chair. "So, why don't you tell me about how you got into all this?"

Nick sat down and stayed silent for a moment. "You really want to know?" When she nodded, he took a deep breath. "I was fourteen. My older brother used to be in the gang. He skipped out when he hit eighteen. He packed his bags and left in the middle of the night so nobody would know. When he left, the gang were pretty mad. They wanted to get back at my ma for lettin' him go. My dad promised them that when I turned fifteen, they could ... recruit me, I guess. He didn't mean to hurt me. He just wanted to protect my ma and my kid brother and, in a way, me. So I joined up." Nick sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "After I got jumped in, all the bad things started happenin'. I started doin' drugs. I was drinkin' every night until I blacked out. I was sleepin' with chicks without even learnin' their name. Every mornin', I woke up without a clue about what happened the night before. I quit the drugs and the drinkin' when I was seventeen. But now ... they've moved me on up. I have more of a duty to the gang now."

Miley tilted her head slightly. "Why did your brother leave?"

Nick shrugged. "Sick of it all, I guess. He came home every night and started warnin' me to never join the BB. He told me that it was ruinin' his life and if he could take it all back, he would. He told me he was only protectin' us. He wasn't into the drugs or the alcohol or the chicks. When he left, there was nobody to protect us. If I didn't join up, my family wouldn't be here."

"And so that had an impact on you ..."

He chuckled slightly and looked down. "You're startin' to sound like a shrink. But I guess it did."

Miley placed her hands on the desk and smiled. "So tell me something." When she looked up, her gentle smile turned to a mischievous smirk. "If it came down to it, if something happened, would _you_ protect_ me_ from the gang?"

* * *

><p><strong>Hola! It's been a long time, huh? I know, I'm a pretty crappy updater, but the first few weeks of summer are usually pretty hectic for me. ANYWAY, from now on, I think I'm mainly free in that I have no weekends or holidays away with my family and friends. I'll try really hard to get this story finished. This story is only going to be short, I think. I have a new idea. That's my problem! I have too many ideas that I start off with but I'm never willing to finish them off. But anyway, seeing as I have more time on my hands, I'm going to try managing two stories at once. I might start this new story in August, but let's not worry about that for now.<strong>

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Only short, I know, but better than nothing, right? Please leave a review and tell me what you thought. Your reviews all mean a lot to me and I'm so grateful for them all.**

**Forgive any typos. I suck at checking chapters.**


	6. Chapter 6

Nick froze. He stared at her across the desk. What the hell did she mean by '_would you protect me from the gang_'? Surely it had to be some sort of test. Normal women didn't just ask questions like that. Normal women would talk to him about their day. Normal women would ask him whether he preferred the black dress or the red dress. Normal women would jump out of a twenty storey building at the mere mention of gangs.

"Come again?" he asked slowly.

Miley smirked and folded her arms across her chest, examining him carefully. "You heard me loud and clear. So answer. Would you protect me if it all came down to it?" she asked.

Nick couldn't help but think that it was a trick question. He wanted so badly to think that she was only asking so that, if he said yes, she could reject him. But he knew better. Miley wasn't that kind of person. His personal life didn't scare her. Not one bit.

He hesitated as he contemplated his answer. _Oh, what the hell_. He smiled softly as he looked at her across the desk. "I guess I would, yeah."

Miley rose to her feet and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window. She looked out over the city in silence for a moment. She then turned around, a gentle smile on her face. "And do you have a gun?" she asked quietly.

Nick nodded. He couldn't speak. No matter how much he tried to stop it, he couldn't think about how beautiful the sun made her features look. Her delicate nose, her feminine smile, her sparkling eyes. He leaned back in his chair and nodded one more. "Yeah. I have a gun." When she didn't look scared, he furrowed his brow. "Does that not scare you?"

Miley laughed, throwing her head back. She then looked at him and shook her head. "You have a lot to learn about me if you think a gun is going to scare me off. I've met men who have done a hell of a lot worse than own a gun." She folded her arms once more and smirked as she looked at him. "In fact ..." She took a step towards her desk and placed both palms down on it, leaning against it. "I find a man with a gun rather sexy."

Nick chuckled. "No woman has ever told me that she finds my gun sexy."

"I never said that I found the gun sexy. I find a man that _owns_ a gun sexy." She smirked. "There's a deeper meaning. It shows that he's willing to protect the people he loves."

Nick shook his head. "Sweetheart, believe me when I tell you that my gun ain't to protect the people I love. I can do that with my bare hands. The gun's to protect _me_."

"You really believe that that's the only reason?"

"I _know_ it's the only reason."

Miley shrugged and walked around her desk. "If you say so." She headed to the door. "I'm sure the boys will be wanting you back soon. You better get going," she said. She put her hand on the doorknob, ready to turn it when he approached. But when he came closer to her, she didn't turn it. She then realised that she didn't really want him to leave.

Nick smiled. "You goin' to let me out, or are you just goin' to stand there?" he asked. He then realised how close he was standing to her. Their chests were almost touching. He took a deep breath and found himself looking right into her eyes. He recognised that special twinkle that only she seemed to have in her eyes. _No_, he thought. _You can't feel this way for her. It isn't safe._ He cleared his throat. "I should get goin'," he whispered.

"Mm, I suppose you should," she whispered.

Neither of them moved. They stood still, both of them not quite sure what to do. Neither of them shifted their gaze from one another. Neither of them noticed that their hearts started to beat faster as they stared at each other. Neither of them noticed the phone ringing in the background. All that mattered was them in that moment.

Without warning, Miley kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Nick automatically ran his hands down her body. He lifted the backs of her thighs and pressed her against the door. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling them closer together. Their kiss was full of passion and lust. They ran their hands over one another, desperate to just feel one another, longing to be closer.

They only pulled apart when they didn't think that they could go much longer without taking a breath. They stared at each other in silence, Miley's legs still wrapped around him, his hands still in her hair. Their cheeks were pink and both were panting, out of breath from the desperate kiss.

"I should get back to work," he whispered, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I have some paperwork to get through," she whispered back. She unwrapped her legs from him and rolled in her lips as she looked at him. "I guess I'll see you soon, then," she said softly, opening the door for him.

"Yeah, I guess you will," he replied. He took a step out the door before turning. "Dinner tomorrow night?"

Miley smiled. "Pick me up at eight."

* * *

><p>Nick walked into <em>The Lucky Shamrock<em> once more and sat down at the bar. He looked around. The bar was clear of Alex or any of his men. He let out a deep breath that he hadn't even realised that he had been holding in and ordered a beer, determined to finish it quickly before any of the BB showed up.

The door opened and slammed shut again. Nick turned to see Jimmy stride in. Jimmy pulled out the stool beside Nick and sat down beside him, a wide grin on his face.

"Got your text, man. Congrats, brotha' from anotha' motha'!" he exclaimed. He patted Nick proudly on the back and grinned once more. "Man, I can't believe you hooked up with your boss. That is so fuckin' hot!"

Nick winced. He didn't like that term. Not when it came to Miley. "It was just a kiss, Jim," he mumbled, looking down at his beer bottle. He didn't want to see Jimmy's proud grin. Somehow, the way Jimmy talked about what had happened between Nick and Miley made it seem ... dirty. Tainted, in a way.

"A damn hot one, by the sound of it! God, Nick, this is better than that time in high school when you and Caty were caught -"

"I remember," Nick said shortly. He didn't want to be reminded of high school. It had been back when he was doing drugs. He didn't remember much from back then – hell, he had been high most of the time - but he certainly remembered the day he and Caty had been caught having sex in the janitor's closet by the principal. It had led to him being suspended – not like that was a rare occurrence in those days.

"So, you goin' to fuck this girl?"

'Fuck' was such a harsh term when it came to Miley. Nick liked the word about as much as he liked the term 'hook up'. The terms made what he and Miley had filthy, when it wasn't. When he was with Miley in her office, he had felt something with her that he had never felt with a girl. Maybe it had been the effect of the adrenaline that had been pumping through his body, but he was almost certain that it had been something else. He just couldn't put his finger on what it was.

"Can you stop usin' words like that? This ain't high school, Jim. I don't fuck around anymore."

Jimmy stopped and stared at Nick, his brow furrowed as he studied Nick. "Dammit, Nick, what the fuck has this girl done to you?" Jimmy shook his head. "I ain't heard you talk about a girl like this since -"

"Don't even say it. This ain't the same as that," Nick hissed.

Jimmy closed his mouth and nodded. "When you're ready to get over the past and say her name, you call me, bro. 'Cause I want to hear all about this new girl, but we ain't able to talk about your future unless you pull your head out of your ass and get over the fucking past."

Nick glanced at his watch. "I have to go," he muttered.

"Where?"

"I have a job to do."

Jimmy closed his eyes and shook his head. "If you tell me you're doin' somethin' for Alex tonight, Nick, so help me God I will beat your ass so damn hard -"

"I ain't got a fuckin' choice," Nick hissed. He stuck his hands in his pockets and shook his head. "It was either me or you, Jimmy. Alex said if I ain't doin' it, he was goin' to get you to do it. I weren't goin' to let that happen any time soon. You ain't getting' stuck in my spot right now."

"What is it?"

"A package."

"Nick, you promised your momma you were done with that shit."

"I told you, Jim. It was me or you."

Jimmy shook his head. "This new girl, Nick ... She's your boss. I'm guessin' she went to college. What the hell would a girl like her want from a guy who's doin' drugs to keep his family safe? She can do a hell of a lot better than this place, Nick. Than these people. If you're doin' jobs for Alex, you may let her go, 'cause she ain't gonna stick around while you go and get packages for Alex."

Nick closed his eyes. "I have to go." He pulled the envelope Alex had given him out of his back pocket and started to walk out of the bar. He heard Jimmy call after him, but he ignored him. He didn't want to do it, but he understood that he had to in order to protect his parents and his brother. They had already been in danger because of the BB once. He wasn't about to put them through that again.

Nick walked down the street and turned into the park. He stood by the swings, leaning against them as he waited. He noticed a black SUV pull up outside the park. A man in baggy jeans and a white wife-beater got out, carrying a brown paper bag. He walked towards Nick. Nick rolled his eyes slightly. The man was walking as though he had a limp, clearly thinking it made him look tough. The man stopped in front of Nick.

"You got the money?" he asked quietly.

Nick held up the envelope. "And the package?" Nick asked, even though he could clearly see the package in the man's hand.

The man nodded. "It's all there," he muttered.

Nick looked inside the bag and nodded. He handed over the envelope and took the bag from the man. "Alex will be happy," he muttered. Nick turned to leave, but the man stopped him. "What?" Nick asked.

"We don't want no trouble."

"What are you talking about?"

"Territory."

Nick gulped. They were about to start the territory war between the BB and the BL once again. Nick shook his head. "I don't know nothin' about the territory. I'm sorry. If you got a problem about it, you bring it up with Alex."

"And where's Alex?"

"No idea."

"Tell him Mike wants to meet him."

"Will do." Nick turned and walked away quickly in the opposite direction of the man and the SUV. They didn't want trouble? If they didn't want trouble, they shouldn't have damn well brought up the territory war. Nick took the long way to the bar, not wanting to run into the LB on his way. He went in through the back entrance and found himself in the storage room. He walked out of the room and slipped from behind the bar.

Nick noticed that Jimmy had left. He did, however, notice Alex and the man that never left his side, Kevin, sitting in their usual booth in the corner. Alex saw Nick walk in and waved him over to the booth.

Not wanting to draw attention to himself and the brown paper bag in his hand, Nick walked over to the booth and slipped in opposite Kevin and Alex. He slid the bag across the table. Alex peered inside the bag and nodded.

"And you gave him the money?" he checked.

"Every dollar."

Alex nodded. "Good job." He smiled. "Can I get you a beer?" When Nick shook his head, Alex nodded once more. "Okay. You know, we saw your friend Jimmy walking away from this place. How's he doing?" When he got no reply, Alex tried a new topic of conversation. "How's your momma these days? I haven't seen her around much."

"She likes to keep to herself."

"Wise move in this part of town. And your dad?"

"The same."

"Tell them I said hello."

"I will." Nick looked up at Alex. "Mike from the BL wants to see you, Alex. The guy doin' the deal told me to tell you. Somethin' about territory. He started on me, but I didn't wanna get in a fight with the dude on my own when he had an SUV full of BL members," Nick explained.

Alex nodded for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. "Wise decision." He turned to Kevin. "Get on the phone with the BL. Tell them I need to speak to Mike tomorrow." Alex turned back to Nick. "So, I heard Jimmy talking on the phone when he was leaving this place. I heard him say something about your new girl. You never told me that you had a new girl, Nick. I'd like to meet her."

Nick blushed. He hadn't blushed since he was ten years old. "It ain't anythin' serious."

"I would still like to meet her." Alex paused and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Does she know about the BB, Nick?"

"No," Nick lied. He knew better than anyone that Alex hated anyone outside Huerto Alturas knowing about the BB. Alex was convinced that anyone knowing would result in the police banging on his door at five in the morning to arrest him for dozens of criminal offences.

"Are you sure?"

"She knows where I'm from. If she worked anythin' out from that, I don't know. But I've told her nothin' about the BB," Nick said.

Alex raised his head and pursed his lips. "I would like to meet her. If she's going to be our Nick's girl, we need to meet her and make sure she's ... suitable."

Nick knew what he meant by 'suitable'. Suitable meant that she wasn't a snitch. That her dad wasn't some rich country club owner, or that her family wouldn't pry into her relationship so much that they'd learn of Nick's involvement in the BB. And, of course, the dealbreaker for Alex – that she was hot. Alex couldn't stand any of the gang's girls being anything less than hot. Nick had to admit that the guy was a bit of a sleaze. He liked all the girls to be all over him, and so they were, if it was only to keep their boyfriends and families safe.

"I'll try and bring her 'round," Nick muttered. _Lies_, he thought. He would never bring Miley near the place. He wasn't going to put her at risk like that. It was too dangerous. If Alex knew who she was, he would keep tabs on her. He would watch her like a hawk. Hell, he'd have one of his guys follow her every move.

Alex nodded. "Good. Can't wait to meet her."

Nick rose to his feet and cleared his throat. "I better head home. I've already missed dinner. My mom's probably worried." He was well aware that he sounded like a teenager, but he knew that Alex would only let him go if he mentioned his mom.

Alex nodded once more. "Have a good night," he said.

Nick turned and walked out of the bar without another word. When he got out, he got on his bike and started it up. He sped to his house as fast as he could. He just wanted away from the bar. Away from the BB. One thing had happened that night. Nick had left the bar feeling considerably worse about himself than he had when he had walked in.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi there :) WHO HAS SEEN HARRY POTTER? I saw it Saturday night with my brother and dad (I'm so cool that I watch movies with my brother and dad instead of my friends. JEALOUS? I love those dudes). I nearly cried. My life is basically over without the Harry Potter books and movies. Anyway, what did you guys think of the chapter? I know it's all pretty random and pretty rushed, but I want to get on to the important parts soon. I hope you guys enjoyed it. <strong>

**Leave me a review, tell me what you think x**


	7. Chapter 7

**It's a rated M story. Don't be shocked by M moments. Just sayin'.**

* * *

><p>"Nick? Nick, where are you?"<p>

Nick's mother, Denise, pushed the back door open and walked out onto the back porch. She looked around. She then spotted her son sitting on the porch, looking out at the small back yard. She smiled as she watched her son. She couldn't believe how quickly her son had grown up. She felt as though it was just yesterday when he was nine years old and promising her that one day, he was going the bring home the 'big bucks'.

Nick heard her footsteps and turned to glance at his mother over his shoulder. "What are you doin' out here?"

Denise sat on the steps beside him and smiled. "I came to tell you that I've reheated some food for you. It's on the kitchen table." She sighed. "Aren't you going to come inside, honey?"

"I ain't hungry."

"Sweetie, I think you'll find that the correct term would be, 'I'm not hungry', not 'ain't'," she replied with a soft and gentle smile. There was a silence between them for a moment. Denise placed a hand on Nick's back and rubbed it softly, fondly remembering how she used to do the exact same thing when he was a little boy. "Now why don't you tell your mom what's wrong?"

Nick looked up at the stars and closed his eyes. He let out a deep breath and shifted his gaze to the patch of grass where Frankie had left his ball earlier on in the day. "Ma, I met someone." He smiled softly as he thought of Miley. "She's amazin', ma. You'd love her." Nick looked down at the steps he was sitting on. "But ..." He trailed off, but he knew that his mother knew what he wanted to say.

"You can't bring yourself to introduce her to this ..." Denise whispered.

"This world," Nick replied. "Ma, she went to college. She's her own boss. Hell, she's _my_ boss. She makes a killin' every year. She don't want to live 'round all this. _I_ don't want her to live 'round this. This place ain't good for her. She deserves better than me."

Denise placed her hand on her son's cheek and smiled gently. "Now you listen to me, baby. This girl, she can't get any better than my boy. Maybe she deserves better than this place, but she sure doesn't deserve better than you." Denise kissed Nick's forehead and shook his head. "Nick, you are so much more than what you think you are. You're _worth_ so much more."

"Miley don't deserve this. She don't deserve to be involved with the BB."

"The BB will keep her safe."

Nick laughed out loud. "Ma, she ain't like us. She's one of those all-American girls from the movies. I don't think she has a foreign bone in her body." He shook his head. "Alex wants to meet her. But he _can't_ meet her. He meets her and he decides that she ain't worthy of the BB."

Denise went back to rubbing Nick's back. "You can't afford to risk anything, Nick. Not around here. Not now."

_Not after Joe's already abandoned us._ His mother didn't say it, but Nick was positive that she was thinking it. Any time anybody mentioned that they couldn't afford to risk anything, the whole family thought of Joe. How he had risked their safety, their lives, all for his own freedom. Nick knew that should hate his brother for it, but he couldn't. Joe had been selfish, yes, but Nick knew that Joe had always planned to bring them with him at some stage. Or at least that's what he had been telling himself for years.

"My point is, if you like this girl, you'll do what's best for _you_."

Nick took a deep breath and looked at his mom. "Even if that means leavin'?"

Denise slowly dropped her hand from Nick's back and stared at him in horror. "Don't," she whispered. "Don't you dare even think of leaving us. Your brother already did that and look where it got us. You had to join up because of him. Are you willing to put Frankie through what you went through? Because trust me, Nick, that's what's going to happen if you leave us here alone." Denise rose to her feet and swallowed, staring at Nick as she tried to hold back tears. "Don't you _dare_ leave us like Joseph did."

"Joe did what was best for him."

"And he was damn selfish about it!" Denise yelled. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "You aren't leaving. I forbid you."

"Ma, I'm twenty four years old. I don't need your permission if I wanna get out of here. If I say I'm leavin', then you can trust me when I say I'm leavin' in a heartbeat," Nick said. He knew that he couldn't leave. He _wouldn't_ leave. But he wasn't going to let his mother _forbid _him. If it came down to it, Nick wanted to be able to just pack a bag and go. And his mother's words were cutting into him like a knife. He couldn't let it go. Even if he could, he wouldn't. He refused.

"There's another person in this now. It's not just us!"

Denise scoffed. "Nick, please. You hardly know this girl. Don't you dare threaten to leave town over a girl when you don't even know if things between the two of you are going to work."

Nick rose to his feet and jumped down from the porch steps and into the yard. "I'm a big boy, ma." He shook his head. "If this is the kind of life you want your kids to have, then I'm pretty sure that your parentin' skills ain't so good. You want your kids to carry guns? You want your kids to do drugs? Because that's what happenin' to me and Frankie 'round here. So make your decision, ma. 'Cause if you don't, I ain't stickin' 'round here and puttin' myself at risk." Nick then turned and began to walk from his mother, ignoring her yells.

"Don't walk away from your family!"

"I ain't walkin' away from my family, ma. I'm walkin' away from dyin' before I need to."

* * *

><p>Miley poured herself a glass of her favourite white wine and headed over to the couch. She switched on the television and began to flick through the channels. <em>Dammit, there's nothing on<em>, she thought. If there was only something to amuse her ...

She heard yelling outside of her apartment. She placed her wine glass on the coffee table and headed out into the entryway, her bare feet making a gentle noise on the carpet of the living room. She peered through the peephole and saw Liam banging on the door across the hall and yelling into the apartment. She smirked to herself. It served him right. Cheaters always get what they deserve.

She pulled open the door. "Trouble in paradise?"

Liam turned around and glared at Miley. "Can you please not be an annoying little bitch right now? I'm trying to talk to my girlfriend," he snapped.

Miley leaned against the door frame and smirked at him. "Last time I checked, you were at my door and telling me that Candice cheated on you. So you want her back now, huh? What changed?"

"We ... made up last night. Not like it's any of your business."

Miley stood straight and put her hand on the door. "I could easily tell you all about what I saw this morning. But because of you being a lying, cheating, inconsiderate little bastard to me when we broke up, and because you're being a rude, conceited, incredibly obnoxious jackass right now, I think I'll keep my information to myself." She put on a smile and waved her fingers at him. "Buh-bye now, Liam." Miley then slammed her apartment door shut and walked into the living room again, a smile on her face.

Just as she sat down, her phone went off. She glanced over at it. _Nick_. She exhaled and read the text quickly.

_**I need to see you.**_

Miley bit her lip nervously as she read the text. The kiss in her office had been ... intense, to say the least. They were going on a _date_ the next night. She didn't think that she could control herself around him. Not after their kiss. All she wanted to do was go back in time and feel his lips on hers, his hands exploring her body, her hands tugging desperately at his curls ...

_No_, she thought. _Don't torture yourself. That can't happen again. Not for a long time._ She had to admit, their kiss in the office had been a bit more than desperate. It had been lustful. Passionate. Fiery. Yes, neither of them had been able to keep their hands off each other. Yes, they had been acting as though they never had and never would kiss another person for as long as they lived. Yes, they were moving far faster than Miley had ever gone with a man. But she had to admit – moving fast, particularly with Nick, felt good. Almost too good to stop.

So she did it. She was sure that she had lost all logic, but she didn't know what else to do.

_**Be at mine in 10.**_

She drained her wine and closed her eyes, not able to believe that she had just texted Nick and told him to come and see her. She couldn't do it. She just couldn't. She was sure that he could walk through the door and she would end up jumping his bones.

She brought her glass into the kitchen and quickly washed it out. She put it back into the cupboard and slammed the cupboard door shut. It would be like the glass was never out of the cupboard. Nick would never know that she had drained a glass of white wine to prepare herself for his arrival.

She glanced at herself in the door of the fridge, and her jaw dropped. She looked _awful. _Her hair was up in a messy bun. She quickly pulled it the hair-tie out and let her hair flow down past her shoulders. Her eye make-up was slightly smudged from the day. She was wearing a pair of plaid pyjama shorts and an over-sized Brown University hoodie. She closed her eyes. She didn't have to time to run into her bedroom and change. Nick could arrive at any moment.

Interrupting her thoughts, there was a buzzing noise from the hallway. Someone was asking to be buzzed in. Not even picking up the phone, Miley let her visitor in, knowing that it was Nick. She stood by the door, inhaling and exhaling slowly, ready to answer when Nick knocked.

Within moments, there was a knock on the door. She counted to ten in her head and then opened the door to see Nick, still in his clothes from work, standing at her apartment door.

When Nick saw her, he smiled and glanced up and down at her outfit. "Casual," he commented. "I like it." He stepped into the apartment and kicked her door shut. "I needed to see you," he said quietly to her, watching her every move.

Miley smiled and slipped past him. "I'm glad you sent me that text. I kind of wanted to see you too," she admitted. "But we both know that I would never have the guts to tell you I needed to see you, no matter how -"

Miley was cut off by Nick's lips on hers, one hand in her hair, the other on her lower back, pulling her close to him. She knew she should pull away. She knew that it was wrong to be involved with an employee. But Nick was addictive. Hypnotising. Irresistible. She couldn't get enough of him.

As Nick moved his lips to her neck, Miley threw her head back, struggling to catch her breath. He had a special effect on her. She couldn't explain it.

"The living room," Miley managed to get out.

Nick lifted her up by placing his hands on her ass and pulling her up. She automatically wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing herself close to him. They stumbled into her living room, desperately attacking each other's lips. The backs of Nick's legs hit the couch, causing him to lose his balance and fall back onto the couch. Miley giggled and straddled him, pulling away from the kiss and looking at him.

_Now or never,_ she thought.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I needed to see you."

"Yes, but _why_?"

Nick stayed silent. He couldn't tell her about the drug deal, Alex, his mom, the territory war. She wouldn't get it. She would expect him to drop his responsibilities to keep her safe. To keep himself safe. He couldn't do that. As much as he wanted to drop the BB and run off with Miley, he couldn't. Even if he was mad at his mom for all that she had said to him, he couldn't put her in the same position that Joe had once put her in. It wasn't fair on her and it wasn't fair on Frankie.

"I missed you." Nick chuckled. "What else is there to it? I missed you. Not that big a deal, is it?"

Miley studied his expression. He was lying, and she sure as hell knew it. Not wanting to start a fight, Miley kissed him softly again. She wanted the night to be good. She wanted it to be special. She didn't want to look back and remember them arguing on her couch because she wanted to know why he came over. He was there. Wasn't that enough?

Soon, their kiss became heated. Miley felt him grow hard beneath her as, not even realising, she was grinding against him as they frantically attacked each other's lips. She was desperately tugging at his curls as his hands ran up and down her back. They both were breathing heavily and letting out small grunts and moans every now and again. Both of them were filled with a want, a need, a desire, for one another.

Nick pulled away and closed his eyes. "Too fast," he said softly.

Miley nodded. "Way too fast."

Nick looked up at her and smiled slightly at her. "I want to stop, but I don't know if I can."

She giggled slightly and bit her lip. "Maybe we don't have to," she whispered in his ear. She pressed herself against him and ran her hand down his chest, resting it just above the waistband of his pants. "We could go to the bedroom, if you want," she said in a low, sultry voice. She bit down on his ear lobe, making him moan loudly and grip her waist. "You can do _whatever _you want to me."

Miley got off him and stood up. She bit her lip and walked out of the room, swaying her hips as she went.

Nick leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He exhaled deeply and clenched his fists. He so badly wanted her. He was filled with a lustful wanting that he hadn't felt in a long, long time. He knew he shouldn't. She was his boss. But as he glanced at the living room door, he couldn't help but think about how badly he wanted to be in her bedroom with her.

Nick eventually made a decision and rose to his feet. He was going to do it. He didn't care what the repercussions were. All he knew was that he wanted her more than he had ever wanted a woman in his life and he couldn't leave.

* * *

><p>Miley looked in her bathroom mirror and inhaled deeply. Her black satin kimono wrap was tied in a loose knot at the front. It cut off mid-thigh, revealing her long tanned legs. She closed her eyes and thought about the red lace push-up bra and the matching red lace thong she had on underneath. If the underwear wasn't enough to make him fall to his knees for her, she didn't know what was.<p>

_I can't believe I'm doing this_.

She hadn't worn sexy underwear for a man since Liam. She had known Nick for a matter of days, and there she was, wearing red lace underwear and a black satin wrap, ready to seduce him into her bed. She felt herself growing wet at the simple thought of all the things Nick could do to her. She crossed her legs slightly and bit her lip. She took another deep breath and looked in the mirror. She had to admit, she looked pretty damn sexy.

Miley opened the door of her ensuite bathroom and leaned against the door frame leading into her bedroom. She saw Nick with his back to her, looking out the window over the city in silence. He heard the bathroom door creak open and turned around to look at Miley.

Miley noticed how his eyes lingered on her long legs. She felt as though he was taking in every tiny little spot of her body. His eyes wandered up to his silk kimono and finally landed on her face. She smirked and stepped into her bedroom.

"So you didn't run for the door then, huh?" she asked.

Nick gulped, allowing his eyes to wander back to Miley's legs. "No, I guess not." His eyes landed on the part of her chest that was exposed to him. "I guess I wanted to see what you had in store for me."

"I think you'll like it," she said. Miley walked around her bed and stood in front of him. "Do you like red, Nicholas?" she asked, putting her hand on the loose knot of her kimono. She smirked as he nodded slightly. "I'm glad," she said. "You know, red has always been one of my _favourite_ colours." Miley undid the knot and allowed the thin piece of black satin to fall to the floor, revealing her red underwear.

Without allowing Nick to speak, Miley pushed Nick on his back and straddled him. She smirked as she looked down at him. His eyes, although dark and filled with lust, showed a certain amount of excitement as he looked at her flawless body. Miley liked a man who was excited at the mere sight of her body. It had been a long time since she had felt like a man was actually happy to be with her, and she was sure as hell going to make it last because God only knew when she would get the chance again.

Nick pulled her head down and pressed his lips against hers, slipping his tongue into her mouth and running his hands through her hair. He rolled her over so that he was on top and ran his hands over her body while Miley pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it across the room and pulling his head down to meet hers once more. Their lips collided again, desperate to be touching one another, her legs wrapped around his waist and his hands on his pants, starting to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his pants. He quickly kicked them off and let them land to the floor, leaving him in his boxers.

Miley pulled away from the kiss and slipped out from under him. She moved so that her head was on the pillows and looked at him invitingly. Nick moved on top of her and smiled.

"You look pretty damn beautiful," he whispered.

"You aren't so bad yourself," she replied.

Nick slipped his hands behind her back and felt around for a hook. Miley bit her lip, a slightly smirk on her lips, and unhooked her bra at the front. She pulled it off and tossed it across the room. She placed her hands on his chest as he stared at her breasts. He smiled and began to slowly kiss down her neck to her breasts. He took her left breast in his hand and began to fondle it while his mouth worked on her right, running his tongue over her nipple, enjoying the sound of her moans and cries of pleasure.

His eyes suddenly snapped open. He felt a small, cold hand slip into his boxers. He glanced up at Miley's face and saw her biting her lip, her eyes closed. He let out a small grunt as he felt her hand wrap around him. He rolled onto his back, pulling her on stop of him, and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her hand around him, loving the sound of her heavy breathing.

After a few moments of her hand doing things with him that he didn't think he would ever have done to him, he flipped Miley over and hooked his thumbs around her thong. He slowly started to pull it down when he felt her hand on his chest. He looked up at her.

"I can't believe we're doing this," she whispered.

"We don't have to."

"No no, I want to. It's just ..." Miley sighed and closed her eyes. "This is probably going to kill the moment completely, but I don't want this to just be a one night thing. I've been there and it sucked. If we're doing to do this, you have to promise me that when I wake up in the morning, you won't be gone. You have to promise me that, when I get to work tomorrow morning, you won't completely blank me and pretend that tonight never happened."

Nick smiled softly and kissed her forehead softly. "I promise," he whispered. He ran his index finger down her body and smirked. "Trust me, after seein' you like this, I ain't goin' to stop thinkin' about it all day tomorrow. You don't have to worry about a thing."

Miley smiled back at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Then let's do this," she replied.

Nick nodded and hooked his thumbs in her thong again. He slowly pulled the thong down her thighs, past her knees, over her ankles, off her legs, and threw it over his shoulder. He leaned back a bit and looked at her body. As much as he hated to admit it, his breath caught in his throat. He couldn't believe that it had, but it did. He had never believed in the whole heart-skips-a- beat, breath-catches-in-your-throat, butterflies-in-your-tummy kind of feeling. That was, of course, before he met Miley.

"You're beautiful," he whispered in her ear.

Miley blushed and started to slide his boxers down his legs. Nick kicked them off and allowed them to land on the floor. He positioned himself between her legs and looked at her. He narrowed his eyes and examined her expression for any last minute doubts.

"We don't have to do this, you know. If you don't want to, we can just get dressed and pretend this never -"

"If you say happened I will wrap my hands around your neck and strangle you right now."

Nick chuckled at her response and ran his hands down her body, allowing them to land on her hips. "Are you ready?" he asked, looking down at her body and then back to her face.

Miley's crystal blue eyes twinkled as she looked at him, a gentle smile on her face, biting her lip. "As ready as I'll ever be." She reached into the drawer beside her bed and pulled out a condom. She ripped it open and rolled it onto him, watching his face as she did, a cheeky smile playing on her lips.

When the condom was on, Nick slowly pushed himself inside her. Miley gasped and tightened her grip around his neck. She closed her eyes and moaned in pleasure as Nick began to move. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing their bodies closer together, and dug her nails into his back as he began to move faster and harder.

"Oh my God ... Nick ... Oh my God ..."

That night, Miley and Nick moved together as one. They had sex two or three more times that night, eventually falling asleep together at around two in the morning. For the first time in months, Miley fell asleep with a smile on her face, knowing that, for once, she wasn't alone.

* * *

><p><strong>Aw, my babies had sex :') Well, not my babies. That would just be weird ... But I feel like the characters in my stories are my babies :) BUT I DO NOT OWN NICK OR MILEY AT ALL IN REAL LIFE. Just in my dreams :') <strong>

**Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave me a review and tell me what you thought of it. Your reviews mean a lot. They're really appreciated. If you don't write stories of your own, you have no idea how good it feels to see that you got so many reviews overnight. It makes me slightly emotional :')**

**OH. And before I love you and leave you, I just want to tell you guys to check out my newest favourite story! The writer, TheMsBrandy1, has reviewed on my stories from day one, and that has meant so much to me! I started reading her story, Use Somebody, a few days ago, and I loved it. You should all go and check it out. It's awesome. I love it. **

**Yeah. I apologise for any typos. I suck at spell-proofing work. So the next chapter will be up soon. DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

_Did that actually happen last night?_

Miley's eyes fluttered open. She stretched her arm, expecting to feel Nick's warm body beside her, but found the bed empty. She sighed and looked at the empty spot beside her. The duvet had been pulled back and Nick's clothes were gone from her bedroom floor.

"He promised," she muttered.

Miley climbed out of bed and picked her black satin robe from the floor. She pulled it on and padded into the kitchen to get some breakfast. When she entered the kitchen, she froze. To her surprise, she saw Nick leaning against the counter in the kitchen.

Nick glanced up and smiled. "Mornin'," he said.

Miley furrowed her brow and took a step closer. "I thought you left."

Nick smirked. "I promised, didn't I?"

"But your clothes -"

"Are on the couch."

Miley turned and, through the door, saw Nick's clothes from the night before, folded up neatly on her couch. She turned back to Nick and smiled. "I can't believe that you actually stayed last night." She walked around the counter and stood beside him. "I thought you would have bolted out that door at the crack of dawn."

Nick smiled. "Feel special. I ain't slept in a girl's apartment in years."

Miley glanced Nick up and down as she went to the fridge to get the orange juice out. Her eyes wandered from his plaid boxers to his bare chest. She couldn't take her eyes off his six-pack, his toned muscles, his well-defined shoulders. She nearly dropped the carton on the floor as she stared at him. She tried to think back to a time when she had met a man with a body as good as Nick's, but she didn't think she'd ever met such a man.

Nick looked up from the newspaper and smirked at her. "Like what you see?" he asked.

Miley straightened up and bit her lip. She glanced him up and down once more and looked up at him, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I might do." She took a step towards Nick. "So what if I do?"

Nick chuckled and nodded his head. "You liked it last night."

"Indeed I did."

"I like my girls wild."

"Sweetie, you haven't seen even _close_ to wild yet."

"I didn't think so."

There was a silence between them as they stared at one another. The sexual tension in the air was palpable. Both of them looked as though they wanted to have sex on her kitchen floor right then. Their gaze was intense as brown drilled into blue. Their eyes were filled with lust and yearning. Miley licked her lips as she stared at him before biting down on her bottom lip.

"We have work in an hour."

"I think we could be done by then."

Miley giggled and placed her hand on his chest, shaking her head. "If we start, I won't want to finish it, and I have some meetings today that I can't miss. You, of course, need to get that O'Connor house finished." She kissed his cheek softly and rested her hand at the back of his neck. "If I could, I would spend all day in bed with you."

Nick smirked and pulled her close to him by the waist. "We always have this weekend."

Miley laughed and pulled away from him. "You can use the shower in my bathroom, if you like. I'm just going to get some food."

Nick wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and planted a gentle kiss on her neck. "You could always join me," he whispered in her ear as he started to nibble on her ear love, his hand slipping inside her robe and caressing her soft skin.

Miley laughed once more. "Nice try, kid." She slipped out of Nick's grasp and headed to the fridge. "Go and take a cold shower." She pulled the milk out of the fridge and grabbed her cereal from the shelf. She turned to face him and waved at him. "Have a good shower." She winked at him and laughed as he turned and walked out of the room, leaving her alone to eat her breakfast.

When Miley got out of the shower forty-five minutes later, she saw that Nick was gone. She saw a small PostIt note on her bed and smiled as she picked it up. She sat down on the bed and looked down at the note.

_**Sorry I left. Had to get to work. Didn't want the boss to kill me ;) I'll pick you up for dinner tonight.**_

Miley tossed the note in her drawer with a smile on her face as she rose to her feet and headed to her dressing table, where she sat down and stared at herself in the mirror. She noticed a special glow about her. It was the kind of glow that she hadn't seen in herself in months. She hadn't seen herself glow with happiness as much since ... well, since the good days with Liam. It made her smile to think that she had finally found someone who made her feel as special as Liam once had.

Miley quickly got ready for work and headed out to her car within twenty minutes. Before she knew where the time had gone, she was already in the conference room of her office.

The new secretary, Leanne, who had replaced Karen while she took time off for her honeymoon, was sitting in the corner, her clipboard in front of her and her legs folded delicately, smiling brightly at the idea of her new job. Miley smiled at her enthusiasm. She couldn't remember a time when _she_ had been that excited about work.

"You have James Cooper in five minutes," Leanne reminded Miley.

"Thank you, Leanne."

Leanne looked down, clearly embarrassed by Miley's brisk brush-off. She wrote something down on her clipboard and stared out the window in order to avoid Miley's watchful gaze.

The door opened. James Cooper walked in, a smug smile on his face. His sandy hair looked windswept. His emerald green eyes glanced Miley over. His smile widened as his eyes landed on her long legs. "Miley Ray. It's been a while. How are you doing?" he asked.

Miley rose to her feet and reached out her hand to shake his. "James. I'm fine, thank you. How are you?" she asked. She gestured to the seat across the conference table from her and smiled. "I hear that you've started a new business recently. How's that going? Plumbing, I believe, isn't it?"

James nodded. "That's correct." He leaned back in his chair and brushed a speck of dirt off his suit. "What are we doing here, Miley Ray?"

Miley locked her jaw as he said her name. The only person that had ever called Miley 'Miley Ray' was her father and, of course, James. But James hadn't called her Miley Ray in years. Not since ... Her thoughts trailed off into a blur as she blacked out the memory. What had happened between Miley and James had ended years before. She shook her head and cleared her head, focusing once more on the meeting.

"It's our annual review of the deal, remember?"

"It's no different to last year's, is it?"

"Actually, there was something else I wanted to bring up with you." Miley trailed off into a long explanation about how all her employees were asking for more help with paint and the monthly delivery into the warehouse. "And so I was wondering if you could talk to your staff about that," she concluded.

"Easily done," James replied.

"Good." Miley glanced at her watch. "Is there anything that you'd like to bring up with me?" she asked.

"Nope," said James as he watched her every move like a hawk. He watched as she placed her hand on a file and moved it across the table to him. "What's this?"

"I just need you to sign it off. It finalises the deal for another year." Miley watched as he scribbled his signature on the page and moved the file back to her. "Thank you," she muttered as she handed it to Leanne. "I think that's all."

James rose to his feet. "You look good, Miley Ray."

Miley stood and headed to the door. She pulled it open and looked at him. "Goodbye, James." She watched as he moved towards her. He stopped in front of her. She closed her eyes. "What the hell are you doing? Don't you have somewhere else to be?" she asked.

"Do you have time for coffee?" he asked.

"Nope. I have another meeting in fifteen minutes," she replied sharply. She glanced at the door. "I think you should go, Mr Cooper."

James laughed. "Miley, you haven't called me Mr Cooper in ten years. What makes you think you have to start calling me that now? We're adults. We don't need to call each other Mr and Ms." He leaned closer. "Unless, of course, you like that kind of thing," he whispered.

"I think you should go," Miley repeated, her tone harsh and cold. She didn't want to be there. She didn't want his face so close to hers. She didn't want his hand on her arm. She didn't want to see his smug little smile. She didn't want him to think that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. It made her feel dirty. It made her feel like she was in high school all over again.

James nodded and turned to leave. "I still think about what it was like back then."

Miley felt her stomach knot. _No_. He wasn't allowed to think of their past. It was too painful for her to even think of high school due to the fact that every single memory she had of high school involved him or thinking about him.

"I have a meeting," she muttered.

James sighed and walked from the room, his hands in his pockets and his head down.

Miley turned to Leanne. "Can you give me a moment, please? Before the next meeting begins," she said quietly. She watched as Leanne scuttled out of the conference room. Miley sat down at the table and buried her face in her arms. She had gone from nobody wanting her to having three guys showing interest in her in about four days.

Of course, Liam hardly counted. He was drunk and trying to get back at his girlfriend. But a guy wanting to have sex with her, whether he wanted to because it was her or because she was just there, still counted a little bit. It showed some kind of attraction to her. Then there was James. A large fragment of her past. He still thought about what they had. She didn't think that he had ever remembered what they once had, but apparently she was wrong. Then, of course, there was Nick. Nick made her feel alive. He seemed to feel as strongly for her as she did for him. It had been a long, long time since Miley had been in that situation.

She had to admit, she liked it.

* * *

><p><em>SCREEEEEEEEECH.<em>

Nick's bike skidded to a halt in front of Miley's apartment building. He looked up at the red-brick building with a slight smile on his face as he thought about what they had shared the night before. He had felt a happy feeling all day. Excitement flooded through him as he thought about seeing her again.

The heavy black door at the entrance of the building opened. Miley walked out and headed down the steps. Nick smiled. Her simple sundress fluttered behind her as she skipped delicately towards him. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips.

Moments later, Miley pulled back with a smile. "Hi."

Nick grinned. "Hey."

"Where are we going?"

"I've a surprise for you."

Miley bit her lip. "I love surprises." She placed her hand on his knee and rubbed small circles with her thumb. "Do we have to go there straight away? I kind of wanted to ride your bike for a little while, if you don't mind."

Nick shook his head. "We can be there whenever." He handed Miley his spare helmet and got off the bike.

Miley hopped on the bike and smiled up at him as she pulled the helmet on. "This thing better not give me helmet hair. It takes a lot of work to pull off my whole flawless, don't-even-try look, you know."

Nick chuckled. "I'm sure."

"Hop on."

"Just put your hand on the -"

"I can ride a bike," she replied.

Nick looked at her, his mouth wide open as he stared at her. Never in his life had he met a woman who could ride his bike. "Since when? I ain't never met a girl with skills like that." He pulled his helmet on and hopped onto the back of his bike behind her. "Go ahead, then. Let me see your drivin' skills," he said.

Miley started the bike and sped off into the darkness.

"Where are we goin'?" Nick yelled over the billowing wind as she turned down narrow side-streets and manoeuvred her way through traffic jams in the city. When she didn't answer, Nick leaned in to her ear. "Mi, where are we goin'?"

Miley didn't answer. Instead, she pointed to the sign on the road.

_Welcome to Huerto Alturas._

* * *

><p><strong>Hello, my dears :) I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for all of your reviews on the last chapter. Each and every one was much appreciated. You guys are amazing. Really. <strong>

**Please drop me a review and tell me what you thought. It's my birthday tomorrow and it would be lovely to wake up on my birthday to lots of reviews :) Seeing as you guys can't give me any physical presents, virtual ones will do, so the review would be the perfect gift from all of you ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Just a head's up - This is the final chapter. I'll be beginning a new story next week ...**

* * *

><p>Alex. All Nick could think about was Alex. What Alex would do if Nick and Miley bumped into him. How he would act. What he would talk about. How he'd treat Miley. Whether he'd accept her. He felt as though time had frozen. He ignored the billowing wind and the sound of the bike as it sped along the road. His entire body was frozen. He couldn't move.<p>

"Miley!" he yelled over the wind. "Miley, pull over!"

Miley glanced quickly over her shoulder. "We're going to have to head out here some time. I've been thinking about it and I want to see where you come from. I need to know more than the fact that you live here. I need to see how you live," she called.

"This ain't safe!"

"And when was life ever safe?"

Nick closed his eyes. He tightened his grip on her without even realising. "Miley, I'm ain't kiddin' around here. Pull the bike over and we'll start headin' back. It ain't safe to bring you here!" He loosened his grip again. "I ain't lettin' you do this!"

"You're going to have to, because we're already here," she yelled.

Miley pulled the bike into a small parking lot and slammed the brakes. She took off her helmet and hopped off the bike. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders as she shook her head. Miley tossed her helmet to Nick and adjusted her clothes.

"We're here, okay? Let's just make the most of this now. This is where you come from, Nick. You have to let me into your world, even for just one night. You've seen where I live and how I live, and I didn't object to that. Please just give me this one night to see what it's like, and then I promise you that you will never have to take me out here again, if that's what you want," she pleaded.

Nick sat on the bike and stared at her as he took his helmet off and tossed both of them on the ground. She had a point. He had seen her life, and she had never made any sort of objection. But then again, she had never been in the dangerous position that Nick was in every single day. He didn't want to put her in danger by walking her through one of the parks or by bringing her into _The Lucky Shamrock _for a beer. Most of all, he didn't want to go home and have Miley face his mother, the woman who would do anything to make Nick stay away from Miley.

"We ain't doin' this, Miley," Nick whispered.

Miley took his hand and squeezed it. "You have to move past this fear you have of letting me in."

"This ain't about lettin' you in. This is about keepin' you safe, and this place ain't safe." Nick closed his eyes and brought her hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on each of her fingertips. "Miley, you ain't got a clue 'bout what happens 'round here. You ain't seen what this place is like. Sometimes, the last thing a guy sees is a gun goin' off right in front of him, and then he ain't livin' anymore. I ain't lettin' you do this. No way."

"One drink at the bar across the street. That's all I ask. After that, we can go."

Nick hesitated, but eventually nodded. "One drink, then we're done here." He took her hand and led her across the street. "I swear to God, Miley, if somethin' happens over here -"

"Nothing's going to happen. I'm safe. I have you, haven't I?"

"I ain't the least bit safe," Nick chuckled.

"Well, I'm sure you put up a damn good fight, so I'm going to say that you'll protect me tonight." Miley squeezed his hand and looked up at him with a smile. "Besides, I'm sure that whatever happens, it just means that it's part of our plan."

"Our plan?"

Miley smiled. "Our life's plan." She shook her head. "Forget it." She stopped in front of the bar. "Okay, are you ready?" she asked.

Nick closed his eyes and said a silent prayer, hoping that he had the strength to bring Miley into a bar full of gang members and criminals, which in his eyes is exactly what each and every one of them were. He nodded and wrapped his hand around hers before he walked into the bar, Miley walking slowly behind him.

The heavy doors opened as Nick pushed against them with his shoulder. The bar was full to the brim. People were standing along the bar with their beers, watching the game on the television and yelling loudly over the constant chatter. Those who had managed to get seats were all drinking and laughing. It was a typical night at _The Lucky Shamrock_. Out of the corner of his eye, Nick noticed Alex in his usual booth.

Nick slipped in at the bar and pulled Miley after him. "What do you want?"

"Whatever you're having is good."

Nick ordered two beers and lowered his head so as Alex wouldn't notice him with Miley. The beers were slammed down on the bar by the bartender. Nick tossed him a twenty and turned around to face the frosted glass windows.

The bar suddenly went silent. The only sound that could be heard were the slow but steady footsteps of a pair of boots clicking against the hard wooden floor. Nick closed his eyes as the footsteps drew nearer and nearer, praying to God that the footsteps he heard weren't Alex's. The footsteps came to a halt right beside him. Nick opened his eyes, and not to his surprise, he found Alex standing before him.

"Nicholas! Who's this pretty young lady you've brought 'round here?" he asked.

Nick locked his jaw and looked down at Miley, his heart beating a million times faster than it had been just thirty seconds beforehand. "This is Miley," he grunted.

Alex reached his hand out with a smile. "Hello, young lady. My name's Alex, but I'm sure you already know that from my boy Nick here." Alex glanced Miley up and down as she shook his hand, a slightly worried expression on her face. "I hear you ain't from these parts," Alex commented.

"No. I'm from out of town," Miley replied quietly.

Alex never stopped smiling as his eyes landed on Miley's chest, then her long, slender legs. His eyes wandered to the hem of Miley's dress. He smirked up at Nick. "You're a lucky man, my boy. You've certainly found yourself quite a girl with this one. I'm sure you won't mind if I -"

"We really have to go. We have somewhere to be," Nick interrupted.

Alex's smile faded as he watched Nick through narrowed eyes. "And what exactly do you have to do that is more important than introducing your girl to your friends?" Alex looked around the people in the bar, all of them watching intently to see what each man would do. "I'm sure young Miley here wouldn't mind staying a little bit longer. In fact, I think I should have a little_word_ with Miley," he said. He glanced at Nick and smiled in a patronising manner. "Alone, if you don't mind."

"Actually -" Nick began.

Miley put a hand on his arm to stop him and looked up at him. "It's okay," she said. She lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned in closer. "I can handle this."

"I don't think you can," Nick whispered back.

Miley smiled and slipped her hand into his. "I'll be fine," she whispered. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and turned to Alex. "I'd be perfectly happy to have a word with you, if that's what you would like," she said politely, a gentle smile on her pink lips.

Alex's smile turned to a smirk as he took a step back. "This way then, my dear," he said, motioning to a door behind the bar. He glanced at Nick. "Nick, my boy, why don't you go over and sit in my booth while you wait. I'm sure your girl and I will be finished shortly," he said. Alex allowed Miley to walk in front of him. He smirked once more at Nick and stalked off behind Miley, slamming the door shut behind him.

The bar stayed silent. All eyes landed on Nick, but Nick hardly even noticed. He couldn't take his eyes or his mind off the door behind the bar, wondering what Alex would do or say to Miley. Still watching the door, listening for any sounds coming from it, Nick slowly made his way towards Alex's booth and slipped into it. He glanced around and saw Jimmy sitting across from him. His mind switched from Miley and Alex to _Jimmy_ and Alex.

"What you doin' in Alex's booth?" Nick hissed at Jimmy.

"He wanted to meet with me. Business matters," Jimmy responded with a light shrug. "Was that your boss? Damn, man, she's hot."

Nick kicked Jimmy under the table. "Dude, shut up." He glanced at the door at the sound of creaking stairs, only just audible over the returned noise in the bar. "Anyway, did you get everythin' ready over at the beach?"

"Yeah. But man, at this rate, you ain't goin' to make it over there tonight. Sounds like Alex has taken a likin' to your girl. You'll be lucky if you get outta here before twelve," Jimmy commented, glancing at the clock above the bar.

"I'll think of somethin'."

"You always do, man."

* * *

><p>Alex motioned towards the chair across from him in the kitchen. "Please, Miley, take a seat. I would just like to have a word with you about Nick's ... situation these days. It's a very difficult time, as you may know."<p>

Miley stayed silent. She took her seat and looked at Alex across the table. She took a deep breath. "What do you mean by Nick's 'situation'? He isn't in trouble, is he?" she asked softly. She leaned across the table. "He's not going to prison or anything, right?"

Alex laughed and leaned back in his chair. "My dear girl, Nicholas isn't going to prison any time soon. He's one of the best men we have." Alex hardened his gaze on her. "I assume that Nicholas has told you all about the BB?" When Miley didn't answer, Alex smiled. "It's okay, kid. Nick isn't going to get into trouble because you tell me what he has told you. Now tell me, what _has _he told you?"

"Not very much. He just told me he's in a gang."

Alex's smile faded. "We prefer not to call it a 'gang'. It's such a harsh term, don't you think?"

"Well, he told me he was involved in ... this. That was about it, I guess. He didn't go into great detail," Miley replied. She shifted her gaze to the window and rolled in her lips, trying to hold back tears. She didn't want to be in the situation she was in. She didn't want to be in a room with the leader of gang. She didn't want to be _talking _to a gang leader. "I'm sorry if I sound rude, but why am I up here?"

"Nicholas has been moved up recently. Perhaps he told you that bit of information? Well, moving up involves more responsibility. It becomes more time consuming." Alex folded his hands on the table and lifted his chin slightly. "I just wanted to make sure that you understood the fact that, sometimes, Nick will have to leave you unexpectedly. And I wanted to make it clear that, no matter how much you want him to, he cannot get out of his responsibilities."

"Okay," Miley said slowly.

"Perhaps he has told you of what happened with his brother."

Miley didn't respond. She stared at Alex. She didn't want to talk to him anymore. All she wanted was to grab the key out Alex's hands, unlock the kitchen door and run down the stairs and away with Nick.

Alex opened his mouth to speak, a wide grin on his lips, when he was interrupted by a loud crashing thud, followed by lots of screaming and shouting down below them. Both Alex and Miley sat in silence as they heard glass shatter and skin hitting wood. Alex rose to his feet and rushed to the door. He unlocked it and turned to face Miley.

"Due to your experience with bar brawls, or lack there of, I advise you stay up here until Nicholas comes and finds you," he said calmly. Alex then dashed out of the room and down the stairs to the bar.

Miley rose to her feet and walked to the door. Trembling, she slowly and silently made her way down the stairs. She gently pulled open the door into the bar. She gasped at the sight. What had once been a peaceful, friendly bar had turned into a chaotic, violent war zone.

Men were fighting all around the room. They slammed each other into walls, threw each other at tables, punched one another to the ground. There were men crying out in pain from the ground as others towered over them, inflicting pain in ways Miley had never even thought about. Women were either cowering in the booths or backing away towards the door, petrified, terrified of being caught in the madness.

Miley jumped back as a man was slammed against the wall directly in front of her. Her jaw dropped when she saw who had pushed the man.

"Get out of here," Nick yelled over the madness.

"Nick, let him go!"

"I ain't kiddin' around, Miley. Get the hell out of this bar and don't look back!" Nick snapped, grasping the man's white t-shirt aggressively. "I mean it this time. Get out of here. I'll come get you when this is done. Just leave!"

"I have nowhere to go!"

Nick froze as he realised the flaw in his plan. The man he was holding saw Nick's moment of thought and pushed Nick away from him, raising his fist to hit Nick. Miley jumped in front of Nick quickly. The man froze.

"Hey, lady! Move out of the way!"

"If you want to hit him, you'll have to hit me," Miley said calmly.

"I ain't hittin' a girl!" the man yelled.

"Then back off!"

The man glared at Nick before turning and running into the madness of the bar. Nick took Miley's hand and glanced over his shoulder. He turned back to Miley and took a deep breath. "We have to leave," he muttered. He looked around once more. Miley felt Nick's body tense up. She followed his gaze and noticed Alex staring at them. He was standing on the bar with a slight smirk on his face. He made to move towards them.

"MOVE!" Nick yelled to Miley.

Nick slipped past her and through the door Miley had come through. Nick ran down the hallway, through the store room and out the back door. He stopped for a moment and looked down at Miley, his eyes filled with worry.

"I have to get you away from here. I never should have taken you here," he whispered.

Miley took his hand and began to run towards the parking lot across the street to his bike. "Come on!" she called. "We can get on the bike and head back to my apartment! We'll be safe there!"

Nick pulled her back and shook his head. "We can't use my bike. The BB would know my bike anywhere. They'll just follow us wherever we go." He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of voices coming down the hallway inside the building. "We have to run to my parents' house. We have no other choice. I can drive you back to your apartment in my dad's car when the BB have stopped looking for us."

He pulled her in the opposite direction, down an alley behind the bar. They were sprinting so fast down the alley that Miley could hardly think. All she knew was that she had to get away from that bar. Her heart was pounding against her chest. She stopped dead in the alley, almost in tears.

"Nick, I can't run in these shoes. I'm sorry, but I can't keep up with you," she said quietly.

Nick glanced up the alley. He heard thundering footsteps pounding against the concrete behind them. "Come on," he muttered. He scooped her up into his arms and began to run once more, his arms holding her securely to keep her from falling on the hard concrete.

The alley opened out into a small neighbourhood with about five houses. Nick walked silently along the side of one of the houses. They reached a small backyard. There were children's toys scattered across the small patch of grass near the back fence. There was a tyre swing tied to the porch. A picnic table was assembled beside the back door.

"We need to get through that fence. The next neighbourhood is mine," Nick said quietly.

Miley glanced around. "Sorry to break it to you, Nick, but you can't go _through_ a fence."

Nick leaned down and put his hand under one of the pieces of wood. He lifted it, making it go horizontal. The space was large enough for a person to slip through. He stood straight again and smiled. "You go through first. I'll follow you." He lifted the wood for her once more and waited for her to slip through.

"What if those guys find you?"

"Then you'll be safe," Nick whispered. "Go. Please, just go."

Miley glanced at Nick, then at the space. She leaned down and slipped through it sideways. "Okay, come on!" she whispered to Nick. She folded her arms and bit her lip nervously, wondering what the gang would do to Nick if they found him, and thinking about why they were chasing them in the first place.

Nick slipped through moments later. Without a word, he grabbed Miley's hand and jogged through the yard they were in and along the side of the house. They ended up in a slightly larger neighbourhood. Nick walked straight across the street and up the front steps of one of the houses.

"This is where I live," he said quietly.

The front door opened. A relatively small woman with black curly hair and brown eyes answered the door. She saw Nick and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh my God, thank goodness you're safe! Jimmy called and told me what happened at the bar. He said the BB are looking for you. What did you -" Denise froze. She noticed Miley and raised her head slightly. She pursed her lips and glanced at Nick. "And who might this be?"

"This is Miley. Remember that girl I was tellin' you 'bout?"

"Did all of this happen because of _her_?" Denise whispered.

Nick shook his head. "Not now, ma. Let us in the house and I'll tell you everythin', okay?" He slipped past Denise, holding Miley's hand tightly, and closed the door behind them. "I need you to do me a favour, ma. If the BB comes to the door, Miley and I ain't here. Don't let 'em in. As far as you're concerned, you ain't seen us all night."

Denise's eyes filled with tears. "Nick, what have you gotten yourself into?" she whispered.

"There was a fight at the bar. I left with Miley. Alex ain't gonna be happy 'bout it. So if they come to the door, _we ain't here_. You got that, ma? Miley and I ain't here," Nick replied. He led Miley into the living room, Denise hot on their heels.

"What happened at the bar, Nick?"

"Jimmy met up with Alex tonight, ma. He says it was business. So I was in the booth with Jimmy when these guys came in about the territory war. They were lookin' for Alex, but Alex was upstairs with Miley. So then Theo told 'em to head on home. Well, none of 'em were too happy with Theo, so one guy went jumpin' at Theo. Everybody started fightin' each other. Alex came down and was walkin' over to me. He told me to get the gun out of his cabinet in five minutes if it wasn't over. So I was fightin', and Miley came runnin' down the stairs. We left together. Now Alex is lookin' for me." Nick closed his eyes. "Probably lettin' everybody know how much of a traitor I am to the BB."

Denise's gaze softened. She looked at Miley and wiped away a tear. "It's Miley, isn't it?" Miley nodded. "Miley, honey ... Do you love my son?" Denise asked softly, staring at Miley intently.

Miley froze. Nobody had asked her such a question in her life. Hell, she couldn't love a man after only a few days together. It was insane. It was impossible. It was completely illogical. She glanced at Nick and took a deep breath. On the other hand, there must have been something resembling love between them. Why else would she have stayed with him, even though he was possibly the most dangerous man she had ever met? Why else would she feel her butterflies in her stomach every time she looked at him or touched him or even when he said her name? Why else would he make her want to kiss him every time she saw his face or any other part of his body? If it wasn't love, it was getting pretty close to it, whether Miley was ready to admit that or not.

"I-I guess I do," Miley whispered.

Denise nodded and rose to her feet. She left the room. Moments later, she returned with a large duffle bag. She tossed it to Nick and bit her lip, trying to hold in tears. "Go. Pack your things and leave this place with Miley. Get as far away from here as you can."

Nick stood and took a step closer to Denise. "Ma ... What about the BB? They'll be after you tomorrow if I go," he whispered.

Denise stood tall and wiped her tears. "I think your father and I can protect Frankie from the BB." She smiled slightly. "Maybe the three of us will join Joe soon. It doesn't matter. We will make sure Frankie will never have to go through what you and Joe had to go through." Denise placed a loving hand on her son's cheek and kissed his other cheek. "Now go. Pack your things and go. You look after yourself and you look after Miley. I want you two safe and sound, far away from this dump." Denise moved away from Nick and sat beside Miley. "And as for you ..." She smiled and placed her hand over Miley's. "You keep my boy out of trouble for me, won't you?"

Miley nodded. Her eyes filled with tears. "Thank you, ma'am. Thank you so much," she whispered.

"From what Nick tells me, you've had a successful business." Denise smiled and wiped away one of Miley's tears. "A woman like you doesn't need to be surrounded by a life like ours. You deserve better. What's more, _Nick_ deserves better."

Nick returned into the room with a stuffed duffle bag. He glanced at his mother. "Ma, I can't do this. I can't leave. They'll take Frankie. They'll put him through all of this crap. This ain't somethin' a kid should have to do."

Denise held her head high. "Your father and I can protect Frankie," she repeated.

Nick glanced at Miley. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Miley nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be ..." she said, trailing off.

Nick wrapped his arms tightly around Denise and kissed her softly on the forehead. "I love you, ma," he whispered. He pulled back and smiled slightly at her. "I'll write to you. Say goodbye to Dad and Frankie for me," he said.

Denise nodded. She grabbed some keys from the coffee table and handed them to Nick. "Take your father's car. He can get it tomorrow, once the BB have stopped looking." Denise took a deep breath and smiled. "Take care of yourselves." She grabbed her wallet and handed Nick $100. "That's all I have right now. Hopefully it'll get you far away from here," she said.

"Ma, why are you doin' this?" Nick whispered.

Denise gripped her son's hand and allowed some tears to fall. "I ruined your childhood. Honey, I forced you into a gang when you were only a child. I did it to protect myself and to protect your father. I did it to protect us all. I've scarred you for life. And now you're in trouble because you ran away to protect someone close to you. Tonight, I've realised that Alex will stop at nothing to get what he wants. It made me realise that no matter what you did, Alex would never leave us alone for good. He was always going to ask you to put the gang before those close to you. I've made you do that enough already. Tonight you need to stay away from the gang, and I will let you. But once you go, Nicholas, never come back. This place isn't safe for those who run away from Alex. You know that more than anyone," she said softly. "You need to protect yourself and your girlfriend from danger. You ran away from Alex and he sent his friends after you. God knows what they would have done. You get away from here tonight and you never come back. You stay away and you make a life for yourself, just like your brother did."

"Thank you, ma," Nick whispered. He kissed his mother's cheek and stood at the living room door. "Miley, come on. We gotta go. They'll be here to look for us soon. We have to get away before they get here."

Miley stopped in front of Denise. Without a single word, she hugged her tightly. "Thank you for this," she whispered. "Thank you so much." Miley pulled away and squeezed Denise's hand with a smile. "You've saved your son from a terrible life."

Denise smiled and watched as Miley followed Nick out the door. The pair walked off the porch and down to the family car. Nick shoved his duffle bag in the back seat and got in the driver's seat. As he and Miley reversed out of the driveway, they waved out the window.

Denise smiled as she watched her son drive away into the darkness. As the tail lights of the car got smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing around a corner, she sighed and closed her eyes. She had done the best thing she had ever done in letting her son leave. She glanced at her watch. She expected that Nick and Miley would pack a bag for Miley and then leave town for good.

She was proud of Nick. She had been using him since he was only a child. She had been selfish and used her own son to protect herself. She regretted her actions. She saw that she had been wrong. She turned and walked into the house and smiled.

Frankie crept out of his room. "Ma? Where did Nick go?"

Denise smiled and ran her hand through her son's hair. "He left, baby."

Frankie's eyes widened in horror. "Why? What about the BB? Mom, they're goin' to get us now!"

Denise kissed Frankie's head. "We'll be just fine, Frank. We'll be just fine."

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><p><strong>I know, I know! Crappy ending, rushed ending, I didn't let you know that it was ending! I apologise. But this is where I wanted the story to end. I wanted them to get away after he brought her to Huerto Alturas. I apologise for the crappy ending, and I know it seems rushed, but this is where it was supposed to end from the very beginning. <strong>

**It was a pleasure to write this, to be honest. I loved reading the reviews and the reactions to all the different moments. I know it was short, but it was always supposed to be.**

**I hope you all enjoyed the final chapter. I may write an epilogue, but not until I get stuck into my new story :-) Please drop me a review and let me know what you all thought. I'll let you know when I upload this new story. Thanks for sticking with DCoM. I really appreciated it throughout the entire story.**


	10. Epilogue

_**Seven years later ...**_

Miley took a deep breath as she walked through the black wrought iron gates, her hand clasped around her little boy's tiny fingers as she made her way swiftly along the path. The little boy trailed his feet as he walked, looking at the ground and dragging his teddy along the pavement.

"Not long now, Oscar," she said softly.

"Momma, I want to go home!" he whined.

"We just need to stop off here, sweetie. Then we can go straight home for dinner." Miley lifted Oscar up in her arms and carried the six year old along the rose bushes that lined the path around the edge of the grass. "I promise, we'll be done in no time at all."

Oscar wrapped his arms around his mother's neck and buried his face into her shoulder. "Momma, I'm tired," he whispered.

"We'll be home soon, sweetheart."

Miley stopped and turned left down a smaller cobble path. She stopped halfway down the path and put Oscar down so as he could stand on his own feet. She grasped his hand once more as she looked down at the black marble headstone, the gold engraving on the stone staring her in the face as she tried to hold in tears.

"Good evening, Nick."

Miley walked along the side of the grave and lay down the bouquet of flowers she had been holding in her free hand. "I love you," she whispered to the grass. She wiped a stray tear away and walked back to Oscar. She sat on the bench across from the grave and pulled Oscar up onto her lap. She squeezed his hand and forced a smile as she looked down at her son.

"Momma, why do we always come here?" Oscar whispered.

Miley stayed silent. She had never explained to him where his father was. He had never asked until his sixth birthday, when he asked why all the other kids had dads to pick them up from his birthday party and why he didn't have one. When he had asked from then on, she had always found away to avoid answering. She had never thought he would understand. How was she going to explain to a six year old that his father had been brutally murdered? But now, she realised, her son deserved an answer. Her son deserved to know where his father was.

Miley wiped away a tear and pointed to the black marble across the path. "See that big stone over there, Oscar? And the piece of grass below it?" she whispered.

Oscar nodded and stared up at his mother. "What is it?"

She took a deep breath. "Do you still want to know what happened to your daddy, baby?"

Oscar nodded once more. His eyes filled with tears as he stared up at Miley. "What happened to Daddy, Momma?" he whispered.

Miley stared down at Oscar as a tear slipped down her cheek. _He has Nick's eyes._ As she stared into her son's chocolate eyes, her heart broke, remembering exactly how his father had once looked at her the same way with identical eyes the night he died.

"There are some bad people in this world, Oscar. Sometimes, bad people make good people do bad things." Miley closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Your daddy did some bad things when he was growing up. He got away from the bad things. We came here and we had you. But the bad people that made your daddy do bad things came back to get him. Your daddy ... Your daddy's in heaven now, baby," Miley whispered.

Oscar stared at his mother as tears trailed down his cheeks. "Heaven?"

"Heaven."

Oscar stayed silent. He didn't comment and he didn't ask questions. He simply slipped off his mother's lap and took her hand. "Momma, let's go home," Oscar whispered quietly, pulling her gently off the bench, not understanding why his tugging and pulling wasn't making an effect.

Miley rose to her feet and squeezed his hand. "Let's go home, baby," she said softly. She glanced over at Nick's grave and smiled softly. "Let's go home." She led Oscar out of the graveyard and down the road for a while. Finally, they reached their house. She pushed the door open softly. "You go on upstairs and get your pyjamas on. I'll make us some food and we can watch a movie, okay?"

Oscar ran up the stairs as fast as he could.

Miley turned and took a deep breath as she looked around the kitchen. It was the kitchen where Nick had been murdered. The kitchen where the BB had forced her to watch as they brutally killed her fiancée. The kitchen where she had held him in her arms, sobbing as he died slowly before her eyes. She had never managed to properly get rid of the blood stain on the wall. She had scrubbed and scrubbed, but it never came out.

She sank down against the wall as she stared at the blood on the wall. She flashed back to the night Nick was killed. She remembered it as though it had happened only seconds ago. She remembered coming in from their anniversary dinner. She remembered finding Alex and five of his men sitting in their kitchen in the dark. She remembered Alex holding a knife to her throat to stop Nick struggling. She remembered them tying her to a chair and forcing her to watch as they circled Nick and closed in on him, attacking him punches and kicks, scratches and slaps. She remembered how they pulled Nick, bloody and struggling to catch his breath, to his feet and slammed him against the wall.

She let out a gentle cry as she remembered the final part of that night. She remembered how the gunshot rang through the kitchen and the bullet flew through the air, right into Nick's chest.

That night had been the most painful of her life. Alex had released her from the chair and laughed as she jumped onto the ground to Nick, screaming in horror at the blood on the kitchen floor. The men had walked quickly from the house before the police could arrive. She had held Nick in her arms, keeping him awake before the ambulance arrived. He had told her to take care of their baby. He told her he would watch over her. He died on the way to the hospital.

Miley wiped away her tears and rose to her feet. She took a pizza out of the freezer and put it in the oven for her and Oscar.

Nick had missed all of Oscar's milestones. He never got to see his first steps or his first words. He never got to see Oscar on his first day of school. He wasn't there when Oscar got his first tooth or the day Oscar learned to tie his shoelaces. He wasn't there when Oscar fell down the stairs and broke his wrist when he was four. He wasn't there and would never be there again. He was going to miss Oscar's prom. His graduation. His driver's test. His wedding day. The birth of Oscar's first child. There was so much that Nick should have been there for as a father but couldn't be, all because of the BB.

Some day, she was going to get revenge on the BB for what they did to her family. However, she thought as Oscar came thundering down the stairs, that would have to wait. She had her son to think about after all.

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><p><strong>Hey guys! This is the epilogue. So this is Don't Count on Me finished, I suppose. I've almost finished the first chapter to my new story, so I'll let you know when that's out. I hope you all enjoyed this story. I enjoyed writing it :) Please drop me a review, either good or criticising. Sorry it took so long, btw. I had a friend staying over all of this week and she just went home this morning. And I was also super busy last week. That's also why I didn't get around to reviewing the chapters on anybody's stories. I read them on my phone and my phone wouldn't let me review, so ... Yeah. REVIEW :D<strong>


	11. New story: Crazy Little Dancer Girl

I have just published a new story after completing 'Don't Count on Me'. It's called Crazy Little Dancer Girl and is about Nick, a famous singer-songwriter, who is about to embark on a world tour with a number of dancers, including Miley.

Please do me a huge favour and check it out. Check out the first chapter and leave me a review. Your support on this new story would mean the world to me. Thank you so much, everybody x


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